


Evil in the Night

by groffiction, Phrixion



Series: Bloodlines of Hell [1]
Category: Dredd (2012), Modern Day AU - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Hux, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Also kind of like Xmen meets X-Files, Angst, Biting, But the payoff is worth it, Claiming, Demons, Exorcisms, Explicit Sexual Content, Hellhound Kylo - sort of, Hellspawns, Hux did NOT sign up for this shit, KBB 2018, Knotting, Kylo drives like a maniac, Kylo lives in a castle outside of Hell's gates because why not, Kylux Big Bang 2018, Leia is a bit of a bitch in this one, Love her to death but it suited the storyline, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild hints of past child abuse, No seriously the slowest burrrrrn, Ok he did but really, Panic Attacks, Possession, Psychometrist Hux, Rut-Sex, Scenting, Slow Burn, So Sorry about that, Some hardcore fluff, Supernatural Meets Avengers Centric, Teleporter Hux, Told from Hux's POV, Truth Compeller Kylo, Vampires, Very brief hint at future mpreg, Violence, Virginal Kylo, Visions, Werewolves, alpha kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-20 18:50:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 59,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17028099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/groffiction/pseuds/groffiction, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phrixion/pseuds/Phrixion
Summary: "This is the home of the crime fighting supernaturally enhanced group known asThe Starkiller Private Criminal Investigations Squad. Our team of sleuths is lead by the notorious reformed villains known as the General, the Hound, the Brave, the Tech, the Chrome Captain, and the Dragon. If you need an investigation of the sensitive paranormal sort and have the money to donate for our time and discretion, we will be happy to assist you! Cash is accepted only. *Presented to you by theFirst Order Share MarketsandWookie Cream Filled Donuts"





	1. Mondays Are a Kriffing Nuisance

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I would love to thank Phrixion (or venturescoutriddle) for being my KBB partner - your art, beta work, suggestions and ideas helped me so much omg. Your art is amazing and so precious. I had a lot of fun working with you and making a new friend. I have received the ok from her to post this fic so she can concentrate on finishing her art pieces with no stress or pressure. What I have seen so far has been amazing, and once she is finished with her pieces, I will add them to my story so you all can see. :) 
> 
> Secondly, though I try not to tag stories too much, if you see something that feels like it's a trigger and not listed on the tags, please let me know. 
> 
> Thirdly, this is Part One of a series. There will be more stories that explain a bunch of stuff that might not be resolved in this particular story. It just got way too big for me to keep it in the posting window for KBB, so I had to split it up into possibly 4 separate parts.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy the story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux deals with the worst Monday he's ever had. Luckily, Techie and Matt know how to cheer him up with a few extra strangers from their work. :)

### Evil in the Night: Part one of the Bloodlines of Hell

### Chapter One: Mondays Are a Kriffing Nuisance 

“You wished to see me, Director Organa-Solo?” Agent Armitage Hux , alias “Thomas McGregor” murmured matter-of-factly, coming into the Director of the FBI’s office. Licking his lips dryly, he absently noted that the woman looked about as tired and stressed as Millie whenever the little devilish cat got home from an annual trip to the vet. This did not pose as a good sign. However, Hux was not one to draw conclusions unless he had all the facts. 

It was a bit daunting to have one’s employer look like she’d just swallowed a lemon, regardless. 

“Yes, Thomas, would you sit down, please?” The Alpha leaned back in her chair and tapped a pen on an open file.

His FBI file, from the looks of it, on top of his ACTUAL file. Oh dear. Mondays really did suck.

Hux sat down, now having a small inkling at what this was about. Hopefully he’d just get written up for that little hidden issue, considering he’d been in the service of the FBI for ten years now. And during that whole time his record had been flawless, if a bit eccentric to say the least. Even with anger management issues and dealing with massive loads of stress, Hux still felt like he was the best the FBI had when it came to Agents out in the field. He might not be as athletic as some in his unit, but he still always managed to catch the criminal. His team was also best in the division, winning numerous awards for making sure the evidence was enough to keep the lifetime never reforming lawbreaking bastards where they belonged - under lock and key.

It made no difference what his life had been like before he joined the Feds. That was in his past, and even if it did come up somehow, someway, then the absolute worst he could get was a month suspension. Nothing more than that, surely.

Slowly adjusting his suit, Hux opted to be casual with just enough tension in his frame to make him seem to be a relaxed, but wary panther. _“More like a fluffy irritable fox ready to bolt in two seconds flat,”_ Techie’s voice filtered in the back of his mind. Feeling a bit of a small smirk twitch his lips at the thought of his younger brother knowing him all too well, Hux relaxed a bit more in the stiff backed chair.

Folding his hands into his lap, he idly rubbed one of his cufflinks with his right thumb, his gloves crinkling a bit at the act. Coughing slightly to clear his throat, Hux raised his eyes to meet his superior’s head on. Regardless of whatever this meeting entailed, Hux was no pushover Alpha. He might respect his elders and betters to a certain point, but he wasn’t ever afraid of them. Looking into the Director’s steely eyes, he kept his expression devoid of the turmoil he was feeling inside of him. Hux had always been good at this game.

He’d had to be with a poor excuse for a biological father raising him and Techie. 

After a long few minutes, the Director finally sighed and broke eye contact. Hux didn’t go leaping for joy internally - he did NOT, for he knew that just because he’d supposedly won the staring contest it didn’t mean he’d won the competition. One thing he’d learned in his dismal upbringing was to never count his battleships before they were built. Shrewdly, the slender, brown haired young man narrowed his eyes as he studied his employer. Organa-Solo hadn’t ever liked him much. Hux couldn’t imagine why, but the feeling was mutual.

Leia hadn’t been the one to hire him all those years ago. Her predecessor - one Wilhuff Tarkin had interviewed Hux and had almost hired him on the spot. In fact, Tarkin had basically let Hux do whatever he wished just as long as he kept bringing criminals in playing by the book for the most part. However, Tarkin had retired five years past, and once Organa-Solo took his place, the whole department had to change. A lot of people left whether by force or voluntarily, but Hux had managed to stay on, still loving his job. Plus, he figured that the department could use some restructuring. 

And he was all for giving strong people the benefit of the doubt - for the most part. It was always hard to find competent people in the department, so this had to have been a good thing, correct?

Unfortunately, that optimism didn’t last very long. Two hours into her first day as the Director and Hux had wanted to slam his head into a kriffing _wall_. 

Hux had no idea how he’d managed to deal with Organa-Solo as his supervisor for the past five years, but it hadn’t been a walk in the fucking park, that is for sure. Techie often told him that he should get a medal for dealing with the asinine female day in and day out, sometimes seven days a week depending on cases. 

Pulling his attention back from being adrift, Hux noted that Leia was deliberating. Apparently she was having a hard time thinking about words she wanted to say. How curious…..

And annoying.

Though Hux had patience of a kriffing saint half the time, today was Techie’s birthday and he had to go pick up his brother’s chocolate ice cream cake with rainbow frosting on it from the local bakery before heading over for the small party. Of course Techie’s boyfriend Matt could have done the service himself, but Hux had wanted to surprise his brother by getting him his absolute favorite cake. Grudgingly, he knew Matt always seemed to be the best in making Techie feel happy, but when it came to treats, Hux figured he still knew best out of anyone. 

As Hux waited in silence, breathing quietly and calmly, he started raging inwardly. Perhaps he should have let Matt get the cake. The bakery was only going to be open for another hour or so.

Finally, right when Hux was about ready to break the silence before he kriffing screamed at the tension, Leia pushed the smart looking glasses up on the bridge of her nose tiredly and began. She pushed the file in front of her around so Hux could view it. “You’ve worked with us for some ten years, Thomas.”

“Yes, I have.” _Some days it feels like centuries_ , Hux thought to himself idly. He briefly glanced down at his files - both past and present, already knowing what was in them.

“Impeccable record; you and your team have been exemplary,” Leia went on with a small sigh.

“Thanks? You make it sound as if I just walked over your father’s grave.” Hux couldn’t help vying for a bit of sarcastic humor to lighten things up a bit. 

Unfortunately it only made the tension in the room worse, if that were possible. Leia fiddled a bit with her pen before she caught his eye again, this time a small flicker of sympathy reflecting in those normally cold eyes before it was gone. The icy exterior was back. “I wish it were only that.”

“Well, by all means, spare me the details and let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Hux stated dryly. If it was one thing he hated, was having to deal with nonsense in meetings, business or otherwise. This was beginning to feel like an interrogation - and perhaps it was.

“Very well.” Leia sat back in her chair and she lightly set the pen on the desk in front of her. Folding her hands in her lap, Leia stated very calmly, “Despite your impeccable service, Thomas, your security clearance was flagged due to an internal audit. Or should I call you by your real name - one Armitage Hux, am I correct? I cannot express how serious this is to you, or to the good of the department. If people found out you forged your own documents - falsified your own records…. You see what position I am in?”

“People lie on their applications all the time, and I don’t see them in here getting the glower of death.” Hux knew it was petty, but the information was true. Just that morning Mitaka had asked Techie to fake a birth certificate for him. Of course the Beta was paying Techie a pretty good exchange of cash for it, but still. 

“We aren’t talking about other people, Mr. Hux. We are talking about you, and that you lied. I understand why you did - though the department is pretty good about being open minded to past incidences with the law, it must have been a desperate time for you back then. If you would have come straight forward with this and you did end up getting hired, then we wouldn’t be here now.” Leia sighed deeply. “You understand, don’t you? We have policies we have to uphold. There might be a few grey areas we can work around, but not when it comes to this sort of thing. People look up to you, and if you had not lied, perhaps you would have made an excellent Director yourself someday.”

“What are you saying?” Hux asked, suddenly feeling ice cold dread settle into his gut like a stone. This wasn’t what he thought this was leading to… was it? They couldn’t fire him, right? He was too valuable….

“I am saying that the department will not be able to reinstate your security clearance. You have until next week to collect your things and leave,” Leia said, her eyes cold and scornful. “Please leave your badge here before you leave today. Since the gun is not department issued and you have purchased it with your real name - not just as your alias, you may keep it.”

Despite the horribleness of this situation, Hux appreciated her decency not to show pity in those hard eyes. “So I guess second chances aren’t something you are willing to deal with. Very well then.” Hux stood and straightened out his suit, the only sign of outward distress being the slight twitch in one hand. He silently laid his badge and credentials on the table in front of the Director and stated very calmly, “I would say it’s been a pleasure, but obviously it hasn’t. And forget about next week. I’ll be out of your hair tonight. Tell the others goodbye for me. Or if you don’t, I could karking care less. Good day, Madam.”

“Good day, Mr. Hux,” And that was the last time Hux saw one Alpha Organa-Solo as his superior.

As he was packing his shit together, he figured at least she hadn’t pressed charges - so there was that. And it wasn’t like Hux didn’t have resources to find other jobs. Granted she would probably black list his alias Thomas McGregor for all the world to see behind the scenes, so he wouldn’t be able to use it anymore. But, all in all, he should have been grateful for all this. That he wasn’t going to jail again.

Perhaps this was his second chance at a fresh start - or third depending on which way one looked at it.

All those things still didn’t help the seething anger and disappointment raging through his veins. He packed up what he needed in a large paper sack with handles that Techie always insisted him using for his lunches. After scowling at the pictures on his cubicle of all the good times he’d had with his team, Hux decided they could have those. He wasn’t ever one for pictures. It had always been Rey’s thing to plaster everyone’s cubicles with pictures from parties or outings non case related. He figured the Beta could take those down if she wished.

Looking around the office that had been his home away from home for the last ten years, Hux felt a slight flicker of aching sadness before he left, thankful for once that the meeting he’d had with Organa-Solo happened after his team had gone home for the night.

Once outside, Hux calmly put his stuff away into his car and got inside. Driving to the bakery was something mundane enough that he could focus on while simultaneously pushing away the threatening feelings wanting to overcome him. It wouldn’t do to have a wreck just because he’d been sacked. Looking in the rear view mirror and turning it slightly to look at himself, Hux decided to go ahead and put the ‘Thomas’ away forever.

Pulling up to the bakery, for a long moment Hux didn’t do anything. The Alpha just sat in his car fingering the smooth leather of the steering wheel. His gloves creaked at the act, and Hux wished for once that his ability - or curse, was controllable. He would have liked to have felt the smooth leather under his fingers, under his skin. Bringing himself out of his thoughts, the brunette looked around cautiously. Noting that there was no one walking around in the parking lot and that there were just a few shop cars sitting idly in their spots, Hux reached up and tugged off the brown wig. 

Well, though a good disguise it was, Hux was marginally glad that he wouldn’t have to do this again hopefully for the foreseeable future. He ruffled out his ginger hair a bit before he got out of his recently purchased red 2018 Chevy RWD Coupe ZL1 Camaro. Luckily for him, his family had money. Frankly, one of the only reasons why he got the job at the FBI was to keep himself from going barking mad with nothing better to do with his life.

Plus, after the past he’d had, and the counseling he’d been through afterwards, it had been beneficial for him to be doing something worthwhile for the community. And though the community always seemed to stab him in the back, Hux couldn’t help feeling that he owed it so much - regardless of where he ended up living and working.

As for the car he’d just bought, unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to have fun with it much yet due to the department wanting to ensure FBI Agents used non assuming and non flashy vehicles in order to do their work. That was actually fine with Hux. His car had been pretty pricey to buy, but after his father’s old 1967 Chevy Impala bit the dust, Techie had suggested he get something special for himself. Techie was still a bit sentimental to the old car, so he was having Matt fix her up with some added features. Hux let him have at it.

His Camaro suited him quite well. It had to, considering how much he paid for the thing. And after Matt and Techie both added a few not so legal special options to the car, Hux felt pretty safe inside of it.

He supposed he would have to move now, just in case Organa-Solo changed her mind and sent out for a warrant for his arrest. She probably wouldn’t, but Hux wasn’t a fool. Lucky for him, the apartment he was living in currently was a month by month deal. It would make things easier for him to up and leave without much of a fuss.

After he picked up the cake for Techie, putting it gently on the passenger seat, Hux disposed of his phone carefully, and kept the small non traceable chip. He tugged out his other emergency phone registered to another alias - one “Monty Schafer” and sent Techie a text. The text was simple, but effective.

 _Plan B initiated._

It wasn’t long before Hux got a reply from his brother. 

_Affirmative. I always wanted a party at the safehouse._

Hux smirked and responded with a quick, _Be safe_ , before he got into his car. After leaving the bakery and his life for the past ten years in the dust, Hux waited for a good ten minutes until he got onto an old privately owned dirt road, not far southeast of Loveland, Colorado, to dispose of his old license plates. Always one to be a bit paranoid, Hux made sure there was no one on the dirt road with him (coming or going) before he tapped a switch on his Camaro that popped off the old license plates and pushed out a new set in their place.

Briefly he thought about teleporting to the safe house to drop off the ice cream cake and back, but thought better of it. He didn’t want to leave his car out in the middle of nowhere on a private road just in case it got damaged or worse - towed. He also didn’t like using his teleportation much at all these days, since it not only took a lot of energy in order to do so, but he was always afraid someone “normal” might see. 

And there was a whole big problem with keeping his concentration - what little that he had left, fixed on small things. Hux wasn’t known to be so frazzled, but even he had his limits. No, it was best not to try teleporting. Rubbing his face, he figured that Techie might as well get to have his cake sooner rather than later.

It was his birthday, after all.

Turning the car around to get back to the main road, Hux fixed his attention on getting to a secret meeting place to meet up with Techie. As he drove, the act gave him something normal to focus on, though his knuckles were tense on the steering wheel. I-25 wasn’t that far away, and Berthoud Moto Park not even five minutes down. Though rush hour was well underway, the Alpha figured he could get off an exit or two before needed and take a frontage road down.

### 

Hux arrived not long after at the parking lot at Moto Park, of which was deserted, since the place had been sold and was permanently closed. At least the parking area was still open. Hux turned off his car and waited for his brother to show up. Glancing down at his watch, he figured he was a bit early. Techie was a very prompt individual, so he shouldn’t have to wait very long. Looking back up, Hux could see that traffic on the highway wasn’t getting any better. And it wouldn’t until at least 6:30 pm. 

Hearing another car come up the frontage road towards the parking lot, Hux smirked. It wasn’t long before he saw Techie’s old beat up mustard yellow 1970 VW Bug. Peace signs, Scooby doo stickers, and a big bumper sticker that said “If you are going to ride my ass, please pull my hair” were plastered all over the back end. It was running a whole lot better than the Impala right now, so it made sense why Techie was driving that instead. Matt must have the Impala then. 

As Hux got out of his car, smoothing down his rumpled suit, he flashed his brother a small shaky smile. At least with Techie, he didn’t have to put on his normal cold, calm and collected mask. Techie got out of his car, waving spastically, acting like he hadn’t seen Hux in months rather than a few hours. Typical.

Plan B was now underway. It was a good backup plan whenever shit hit the fan and they had to go underground or move. At least Hux could count on both Techie and Matt to have his back when something like this happened.

Hux embraced his brother, breathing in the Omega’s calming scent and sighed. Techie wiggled a bit in his arms when Hux didn’t let go after a minute or two.

“Ok, so what’s wrong? Why did we need to activate Plan B?” Techie asked, finally pulling away from Hux, his concerned wide blue eyes raking over his brother’s frame. Hux figured that Techie was definitely taking note of how anxious and stressed his brother must be smelling. Pheromones were a bitch to deal with, but at this point, Hux didn’t mind so much. “I know we are on a schedule, so a short and sweet factual answer would be excellent. Then when we get to the safehouse you can tell Matt and myself _everything._ ”

Hux nodded and looked his brother over, taking in the garish neon yellow shirt, green cargo shorts and beat up Naruto sneakers. Despite it being the latter part of September, the weather was still summer like, so it made sense that Techie was out looking like he should be at a pool and not on a dirt parking lot in almost the middle of nowhere. Techie’s fashion sense was out of this world, and that was putting it mildly, but Hux didn’t mind. Techie’s long ginger hair was pulled back in a small whimsical ponytail, though several strands still hung loose in small braids, haloing his face and neck, having a few rainbow beads attached at the ends.

Bringing his thoughts back to answering the questions at hand, Hux said haltingly, “I got found out and simultaneously sacked. All in one blasted span of a minute.”

“Aw god fucking _damnit!_ ” Techie hissed out before he hugged his middle and scrunched up his nose in a look of annoyance and mild anger. “I mean, we knew it might happen, but it was going so good for so **long**. This sucks!”

No kidding. Hux ran a trembling hand through his already less than perfect ginger hair and muttered, “Yea, well at least she didn’t cart me off to the slammer. I can’t go back there again, Techie. I can’t.” Feeling his anxiety start to take over, he let out a ragged breath. “You did manage to get Millie, correct?”

Techie seemed to sense what was happening to him. Or at least he knew Hux more than Hux knew himself perhaps. So it shouldn’t have surprised Hux when Techie again wrapped his arms around him, hugging him close and baring his neck so that the traumatized Alpha could breathe in his scent. Hux buried his nose into his brother’s shoulder and neck, allowing the calming pheromones to take hold of him.

Techie murmured softly, “We will get through this Armie. We always do. You won’t go to jail. Even if it means I have to overthrow the fucking twisted ass government, I will so do it to keep you out of there.” The promise held an uncharacteristically steel firmness to the Omega’s normal hesitant voice. “And of _course_ I got Millie. She was the first thing I thought of when you said Plan B. So, I headed over to your place with Mattie and grabbed her first, knowing you would probably want her taken care of first. She’s in the passenger seat of my car - of course a bit pissy about being in her carrier, but if you want to check in on her or take her, it’s fine by me. Mattie is going to meet up with us once he’s finished getting all your things.”

It made Hux smirk slightly, feeling a bit better and more in control of his emotions. “I doubt you would need to take over the government, but the option however is definitely acknowledged and appreciated. Thank you. If Millie’s already settled with you then it’s fine you taking her the rest of the way. And I will have to make sure to pay back Matt somehow in thanks.”

“He doesn’t mind doing it. He cares about you too, like you guys are also brothers or something,” Techie murmured back.

“Can you believe it, Techie, Organa-Solo fired me on a Monday for fuck’s sake?” Hux said a minute later as he pulled away. 

Techie snorted and rolled his eyes. “And on _**MY**_ birthday. Then again, she is a total bitch, so I guess it’s to be expected. And speaking of birthdays…. Is that a _cake_ I see in your car?”

Now how in the kriff had Techie seen that already? “Did you develop all seeing eyes or something in the past few hours? Because I swear the cake is in the passenger seat, and of course I have tinted windows.”

Techie swatted Hux on the shoulder and sassed, “As if! I saw the cake box when I was getting out of my car. What kind of flavor is it? Is it chocolate? Does it have _sprinkles_? Can I eat a piece before we leave? Please?”

Hux looked upon Techie’s full on pout, complete with wide doe like blue eyes and quivering lower lip and caved. Feeling a bit better about deciding not to teleport the cake to the safehouse and back, he gave Techie a small smirk in assent. When it came to his brother, Hux had absolutely no backbone. Unlocking the door, Hux answered, “It’s your favorite, so be careful about making a mess.”

Techie let out a squeal of joy and nearly shoved the Alpha out of the way so he could get inside the car. “Oh my god Armie, I love you.” The long haired ginger opened up the box and peered inside. “Awww, it’s so pretty. I almost don’t want to eat it.”

“Really? That would be a shame since it might melt before we reach the safehouse anyways. Though you did say there was a time schedule,” Hux mused, chuckling when Techie popped his head out of his car to give him not only the finger but also to snap sarcastically, “I said ALMOST. This is _mine_. And we have time for cake devouring.”

“Can I have a bite at least?” Hux asked, snorting when Techie finally managed to get the cake out of the car to plop it on top of the hood, the cake thankfully still in it’s box. 

He handed Hux a spoon and cooed, “Thank you Armie.”

“You’re welcome,” Hux said after he swallowed a few mouthfuls. 

Seeing Techie beam so adorably with chocolate ice cream and sprinkles on his cheeks made something inside Hux ache in such a wonderful way. Sometimes - if not all the time, Techie was so adorable and Hux knew he was blessed to have someone like him as his brother. 

### 

After the cake was consumed and the box it came in along with the plastic spoons disposed of in a not quite overflowing garbage receptacle near the old, abandoned ticket office, Hux and Techie left the area, kicking up dust as they went. Taking back roads down to the safe house was a challenge, but they managed to do so. Though they bypassed a bunch of rush hour traffic, it still took them almost two hours to get there. By then, traffic was lightening up - of _course_.

The safe house was located in Greenwood Village, Colorado - right near the Denver Tech Center. On one side of the community were various older neighborhoods spawning out some slums, low income housing, nearly falling apart businesses, and older retirement homes. The other side closest to the Tech Center was quite the opposite. As in every community or city, the line between the rich and the poor was integrated deeply and quite visible. 

Hux, his brother, and Matt were lucky to have money, and therefore were more flexible on where they could live comfortably. The Alpha still found it ridiculous that some of the luxury smallest apartments in the Tech Center were priced in the low $2000’s for rent. It made no sense to have a 500 square foot apartment for that steep a price.

At least their safe house was bought and paid for. All they had to worry about was the nasty taxes every year. Techie was always good at finding loopholes however, so there was that. He’d rather know exactly where his money, and where his family’s money was going to. So donations to various charities in sizeable sums every year was a better option.

Hux pulled up to the large house, breathing a sigh of relief when the gate automatically scanned himself and his car, and then opened to admit him. The house and guest house came into view shortly and though Hux really wasn’t one to care too much about how big one’s home was, he always loved their safe house out of all of the places he’d lived. It was their safe haven, away from work and their various different lives. They sometimes vacationed here whenever Hux or Techie and Matt’s work would allow them. The place might look like a palace to some with it’s cleanly trimmed pine trees, freshly mowed grass, and strategic island like gardens. Tall windows overlooked the Rocky Mountains to the west in several views, as well as the nearby Tech Center to the north east. Both a pool and tennis court lay behind the mansion. With a slight western flair of terracotta shingles atop the roof and smooth sandstone whitewashed textured walls, both house and guest house were definitely spectacular a sight.

Hux would have appreciated it more if not for the fact that his nerves were shot, and he was starting to feel fatigue over the stress of the day. He was ready for a hot bath, a few sips of whiskey or even some good ol’ Captain Morgan’s Rum, and a relaxing evening with his brother and Matt. 

Tomorrow, he could worry about finding a new job with a different alias. Tomorrow, he could face reality with a firmer mindset.

As he drove into the large six vehicle garage, the first drops of rain started hitting his back windshield. He guessed they were in for some late summer thunderstorms. Parking and shutting off the ignition, for a long moment Hux just sat inside his car, trying to keep himself calm. He wasn’t as prone to anxiety attacks as he had been in the past, but every once in a while they snuck up on him. The Alpha at least was lucky enough to recognize the signs before one came into fruition. 

Techie, however, had no such luck.

Hux couldn’t help but feel thankful that it was he that had been sacked today and nearly came close to being arrested and not his brother.

Taking a few unsteady deep breaths, he finally got out of the car just as Techie got out of his, Millie in tow. Noting absently that Matt wasn’t back yet from gutting his apartment, Hux refused to worry about it. The poor Alpha probably just got stuck in traffic is all. Plus, Techie would know if the other male was in any danger. He had his ways of knowing. 

Taking Millie’s crate from Techie, Hux paused a moment to soothe the frazzled cat a bit as she yowled unhappily. “There, now it’s all right, Millie. Once we get you inside you can go hog wild over everything as you normally do during vacations.”

Millie stuck her ginger paw up against the crate’s wire mesh and clawed at it in response. Hux rolled his eyes fondly and followed Techie inside. 

### 

As the two made their way through the garage foyer, Hux took a moment to set down Millie’s crate and let her out. The orange tabby yowled her displeasure and haughtily left the crate with her tail stuck up in the air as if she was definitely giving Hux a “fuck you” cold shoulder. Hux rolled his eyes fondly and straightened, loosening up his sharp ebony tie and unbuttoning the top of his creased white dress shirt.

Techie shuffled in front of him, toeing off his beat up sneakers and kicking them to the side haphazardly in the process. Hux let it go, noting that at least his brother had put them out of the entryway. Reaching down to undo his slightly scuffed black dress shoes, Hux tried to concentrate on these minute little tasks. Hopefully he could stave off the panic attack for Techie’s sake if not his own. 

Techie had enough to worry about.

Hux pulled off his shoes and placed them in a neat line on a rubber mud collecting mat and straightened again, this time in a slower motion, stretching his tired muscles. Despite pouring over reports most of the day and not being out in the field for a change, Hux still felt sore. Perhaps it was just a mixture of stress collecting in one big ball of tension in his shoulders and spine, or maybe working randomly in front of a computer for long intervals was just not something he ever got used to.

He turned and headed after Techie, who had practically skipped up the stairs and onto the main level foyer. The house might be a bit oversized for some people, but Hux and Techie liked having as much space as possible to breathe in - to feel safe in. Hux ran his left gloved hand along the stair case’s oak wood railing, noting that the house hadn’t changed since they’d left it at the end of May. If anything, there was a few dust bunnies flying in the air, but the current housekeeper and groundskeeper both kept the place in pristine condition. 

The tired ginger figured he would have to notify the two that they were here to stay for an undisclosed amount of time. Both the Mrs. Johansens would probably appreciate the warning, even if it was very little in advance. Hux looked at the white walls framed with accents of wood, light blue moulding, and various art pieces as he decided to head up to his rooms to change into more casual clothing. Techie paid him no mind, although he did ask in a soft voice over his shoulder if Hux wanted something to drink.

Hux coughed slightly and paused on the stairs that continued on up two more floors. He leaned over the railing and said in a louder voice, cringing when the sound echoed a bit, “Karking Hell _yes_. One of your blackberry rum martinis would be splendid if you are up to it, Techie. And if not, then just an orange italian soda. I’ll be down in a bit after I freshen up.”

“I will see if I can muster up a bit of energy to make you your martini. Those sodas aren’t as bad as normal ones, but they are still very unhealthy, Armie!” Techie chided, and though Hux couldn’t see him, he imagined that his brother probably had a wrinkle in his nose as he said it. 

“Well if you are that concerned, I can always text Matt and tell him to cancel the pizza order.” Hux smirked when Techie suddenly appeared in his line of vision near the stairs, mock angry scowl on his adorable pale face.

“It’s my birthday and I will eat what I _want_! Plus, I am not the one who is overtired, stressed, and who’s blood is practically made of nothing but **coffee!** ” He said sassily, though when he noted that his brother was trying hard not to smirk, he burst out laughing. 

Hux rolled his eyes and chuckled, feeling tension start to ebb away. Not much, but a little. 

### 

About an hour later, Hux padded downstairs, feeling more refreshed after a nice, lukewarm shower. He was wearing black tight fitted jeans, matching black long-sleeved shirt, softer gloves, and toe socks. Hux might not be one to go hog wild on flashy colors like his brother, but he did have a weakness for toe socks. Or soft socks of any kind. And if he had more than one sock drawer in his possession, who cared? Feeling the cool breeze of the central air blown around by overhead fans as he passed through into the large kitchen and dining area, Hux figured perhaps everything was going to be ok.

His toes instinctively curled against the tastefully light cream carpet, and once the hardwood flooring of the dining and kitchen area graced his feet, Hux sighed deeply. Techie had his drink set out on the island as promised, though his brother was nowhere to be seen. It was nearing seven thirty, and Hux figured that the other ginger was either chilling in the entertainment room, lounge, or taking a dip outside in the pool. Wrinkling his nose, Hux hoped that the fair skinned Omega brother of his put on sunscreen if he was, in fact, outside. The sun wasn’t yet down and it was still pretty hot outside.

Taking a slow sip of his martini, Hux let the flavors of blackberries, rum, and spices savor on his tongue before he swallowed. Millie mewed a bit and wound her way around his feet, but Hux paid her no heed for a few minutes, just enjoying the safe space that was surrounding him. His small reverie was broken by the security system chiming softly twice. He smirked when he heard Techie’s voice answering the “door bell” with a soft and suspiciously playful tone. 

“Who is this and why are you here?”

“This is Matt; I’m the pizza delivery guy. I’ve got a nice sized order of pizzas in the front seat - so could you open the gate?”

“You don’t look like a delivery guy. You look like a phony. The security system doesn’t lie.”

“Uh...ok? Look, I just want to deliver the pizza and head home. It’s late, and my boyfriend is celebrating his birthday tonight.”

“Awww, that’s kind of sweet. Why are you having to work on his birthday?”

“Because work sucks but it’s something that pays me a bit so I can take him out and buy him stuff.”

A few random voices started chuckling in the background, and Hux grew intrigued. He set down his drink and headed towards the room just behind the kitchen, which was where Techie had set up the security system. Leaning up quietly against the doorframe, he watched Techie scowl over the large flat screen computers, tapping a few keys to zoom in on the car at the entrance of their gate.

From what Hux could tell, there definitely were more people than just Matt in the Impala. 

Strange. He had been under the impression that it would just be the three of them at the safehouse tonight. Crossing his arms over his chest, Hux watched his Omega brother’s actions carefully. The long haired ginger seemed to be in his element, and not distressed, so perhaps he was expecting more than just Matt. Feeling his anxiety start to rise again, Hux forced it down. He wasn’t one to jump to conclusions.

They had entertained here a few times, so it’s not like the safehouse wasn’t open to people that they could trust. Rey and Mitaka had been over here a few times in the past for pool parties and the like, so it would make sense that Techie and Matt had a few friends that fell into the trust category. Still, Hux wasn’t so sure if having people over just after he got sacked and possibly blacklisted was such a good idea. 

But, it was Techie’s birthday.

And if there was anyone who knew Techie more than he did, it was Matt. 

Deciding to trust the other Alpha with this one and not let his anxiety get the better of him, Hux continued to observe quietly.

Techie scrunched up his nose comically before he huffed out, “You buy him pretty things? Are you hitting on me? You definitely aren’t a delivery boy.”

“I am the delivery guy. And as for hitting on you, I am sure you are mistaken. There is only one love in my life and he is waiting patiently at home for me. Yea, I also buy him pretty things. Got something special in the trunk too for him.”

Techie flushed a bit and seemed to finally notice Hux in the doorway of the room. He flashed him a grin before rubbing his face and answering shakily, not being able to contain his excitement anymore, “Ok, fine. If you give me the password, I’ll let you through. But, you better not double cross me. I have a big strong Alpha that can take your ass and _plaster_ the stars with it if he wanted to. And I also have huge laser cannons the size of fucking **Mars** directed at you, too. So no funny business.”

More chuckling sounded, and even Hux was trying to keep from snorting in amusement. 

Hux could hear Matt coughing a bit before stating plainly, “Optimus Prime, Techie.”

Techie snorted and replied, “Affirmative, you big boy. Now get your ass in here, I’m _hungry_. And tell those goofballs with you that I see them and hear them, too!”

Hux heard a person with a smooth and slightly attractive deep voice that rubbed the ginger in all the right places filter in the com, “We just wanted to surprise you, Techie. That’s all.”

Another, this time feminine voice filtered in, “Happy Birthday, Techie!”

“Yo, can we talk later once we get inside? ‘Cause these pizzas are frying my pants off!” Came another masculine voice, causing Techie to snicker and press the button to admit Matt and whoever was with him.

Techie turned to look at him a bit bashfully. “I know it’s kind of late to ask, but…. Is it ok if they party with us? These people work with Matt and myself and are really amazing, to be honest. Been wanting you to meet them before now, but all of us have been so busy lately…. I didn’t know Matt was planning on bringing them, but I know he wouldn’t have invited them if he knew it would upset you.”

Hux snorted and nodded his head. “It’s alright, Techie. It’s your birthday and you deserve to have some fun. Just as long as the music isn’t so loud the people on Pluto can hear it.” And if it got too much, he could always retreat to his rooms early and let Techie have his fun. 

“Thank you, Armie!” Techie exclaimed, nearly leaping out of his chair quicker than a chimp on a tree branch. Hux braced himself but still was caught off guard when he received shortly an armful of Techie. Patting his brother’s back and breathing in his scent, Hux huffed out a deep sigh. Hux figured that perhaps Mondays weren’t as bad as they seemed.

### 

Techie was practically thrumming with excitement by the time Matt had parked the car in the garage and had unloaded practically everything under the sun, the moon, and the stars. The birthday boy had scampered downstairs to “help”, when he probably more like tackled everyone in sight. Opting to stay up on the main level, Hux waited in the kitchen, returning to his drink and sipping it slowly.

He listened to the sounds of muffled laughter, shouts, and occasional bouts of car door slams before the troop started coming up the stairs. Huffing out a slow breath with a forlorn thought that his evening was going to be shot to hell, Hux prepared himself to meet new faces. The Alpha wasn’t one to be antisocial, but he liked his privacy, especially after a long and trying day. Hopefully this brood wouldn’t expect too much out of him tonight.

As the noise grew and he started seeing tops of heads coming up the stairs, Hux briefly entertained the fading option of finding a place to hide and pretending that he didn’t exist. Gritting his teeth against the feeling, Hux plastered on a small smirk, hoping he didn’t look too unwelcoming.

The first people in his line of sight was Techie tugging on an overloaded Matt, trying to be patient and failing miserably. In one arm Techie had the biggest porg stuffed animal Hux had ever seen in his life, the plush pressed up against his entire side. Hux snorted slightly at the sight and felt his gaze soften to see the huge happy grin on his brother’s face. Matt, tall, blonde haired, buff, and weighed down with at least ten boxes of pizza, looked pretty pleased with himself. Or at least he looked less dower, his almost permanent grimace softened and slightly smug. From what Hux could tell, the man was dressed in what looked like a Thor costume of some sort, complete with a real life sized metal Mjölnir hammer clipped on his thick leather belt. 

Trailing behind the duo was a tall, blonde short-haired and fair skinned woman dressed in a Captain America bodysuit, her arms laden down with brightly colored wrapped presents. She looked to be slender, but strong, and the playful smirk on her face made Hux a bit wary, though also intrigued. Taking a deep discreet sniff in the air, he noted that she wasn’t the only Alpha in the mix of Techie’s coworkers and friends. The two men dressed as Loki and the Hulk that were behind the blonde woman were also Alphas.

Interesting.

Though he couldn’t really tell the features of the one wearing the green Hulk foam suit, he noted that the Alpha was cheerily carrying some duffels probably filled with sleepover clothes and toiletries. 

Out of all three strangers, it was the Alpha dressed as Loki that caught his attention most. 

Hux tried to tell himself that it was because the Alpha was carrying some of his small assortment of Plan B boxes - of which he sat down neatly on the long oak wood kitchen table before turning his perky ass around to go down for another load. The fact that the man was thoughtful enough to do this for him, regardless of the fact that he might have absolutely no clue who the boxes belonged to, made Hux feel a bit flushed with an unhealthy dose of embarrassment and gratitude. 

“Matt, you needn’t have made the poor man suffer so by bringing up my belongings. I could have done it for him. I have two legs in working order,” Hux blurted out softly, causing everyone to pause and notice him. Mr. ‘Perky Ass’ stopped mid way down the stairs and turned to catch his eye. 

Brown hazel intense eyes jolted him almost to the core, and Hux coughed softly, causing the attractive man to smirk slowly and smugly. “Oh, so they belong to you, _Gingersnap_? Good to know. And don’t worry, I lost a bet with Matt, so this is for him, not necessarily for you.”

 _Gingersnap? What in the kriff?_ Hux felt a flush race over his face and before he could stop himself, he growled out, “Nevermind, Matt - I take back my last comment. Karma must have really bitch slapped you, _LOKI_ one too many times if you lost a bet with _Matt_ of all people, am I correct? And don’t call me **GINGERSNAP** you _PERKY ASSED **INGRATE!** IT’S **HUX!**_ ”

### 

Hux would have felt bad about the fact that he’d not only insulted one of Techie’s friends and coworkers but also Matt, if he hadn’t been so tired and stressed. Luckily, Matt wasn’t too upset about Hux’s outburst. If anything, he absolutely agreed with him with a grunt and nod, and why shouldn’t he? Matt was deplorable at gambling. 

Techie had started snorting in laughter - also agreeing with the sentiment, the act breaking the rest of the tension in the group, causing them to start chuckling in shocked mirth. Hux flushed a bit more, but shrugged and finished his drink. Setting the empty glass down on the island of the kitchen, Hux made his way over to the Hulk and female Captain America to properly introduce himself. Mr. Perky Ass didn’t seem to mind being insulted. In fact, the dark haired, mole speckled, thickly athletic male just waggled his eyebrows at him, flashing a saucy wink, and promptly headed back down the stairs. 

Cheeky bastard.

Resolving to ignore the other Alpha, Hux greeted the Hulk dressed man of which was named Poe Dameron, and the female Captain America, of which was named simply Phasma. He shook hands with both, and if they took note of him wearing gloves, they didn’t mention it. As for first impressions go, Poe seemed to be an easy going - if sarcastic humored Alpha and Phasma was an Alpha of a dry and sharp British humor, of which Hux found he liked. Hux was sure that if push came to shove in a battle, both Alphas could hold their own and tear down their opponents with their variances of verbal play if they couldn’t otherwise defend themselves physically.

As for the saucy man dressed as Loki, Hux found out that the Alpha’s name was one Kylo Ren. Who in the kriff would come up with a corny alias like that? Then again, considering the man was eccentric, moody and altogether bold, Hux figured he really shouldn’t be surprised. Though first impressions weren’t much in the scheme of things for Hux, he still wasn’t too impressed with the other man’s actions towards himself.

And he could lie to himself all he wanted to, couldn’t he?

Kylo had joined them at the top of the stairs not long after introductions were made, carrying the last box and suitcase Hux had from his former apartment. Trying and failing not to notice just how snug the green and black bodysuit clung to the other man’s frame in all the right places, Hux took both items from Kylo’s hands as a distraction. The overhead lighting in a ceiling fan directly above them glinted off the man’s hair, however. Hux noted in bemusement that the man’s slicked back “Loki” styled hair was naturally shiny and soft with limited product in it to keep the waves in check. Swallowing the urge to reach out and touch the man’s hair, the ginger clutched his items and headed towards the dining area to set them down.

He could take up the items to his rooms later if he needed an excuse for escape.

Feeling Kylo’s eyes on his frame, Hux briefly wondered how in the kriff he was going to last the night without beating something to a pulp.

### 

After pizza on plates and bottled drinks were given out amongst the party, and all were settled in oversized, soft, but tasteful black sofas and loveseats in the lounge, Techie couldn’t take it any longer in waiting on opening his gifts. The Omega gave his pizza to Matt to take care of for now and took up the first brightly packaged gift from the moderately sized pile centered on a square glass and oak trimmed coffee table. Matt carefully laid the plate of pizza on his lap and refrained from digging into his own pizza until Techie was finished opening his presents. 

Hux sighed softly as he munched on a slice of combo meat feast pizza from Godfather’s. Normally, according to tradition, Omegas ate their first bites of food before Betas or Alphas as a sign of respect and understanding that the softer males and females needed to be provided for before anyone else. Hux would have waited to eat until Techie had had his first bite of pizza, but traditions could go to hell’s outhouse for all he cared right now. Yes, it was Techie’s birthday, but Hux was tired, cranky, and having an unhealthy dose of ‘hangry’ beating down on him. 

He doubted Techie would mind.

As Techie squealed over a gift card to Gamestop from Poe, Hux again felt an intense gaze on his person. Washing down the pizza with a sip of Bailey’s this time, Hux lifted his blue eyes to meet Kylo’s. The tension grew between them, and Kylo seemed to falter a bit when Hux didn’t blink for some time. Staring contests were child’s play for Hux, and this was no different. When Kylo took on a more unsure expression and swallowed, looking away from him, Hux slowly smirked. 

Apparently, Kylo wasn’t as good at this game as he appeared to be earlier. 

A lot of bravado, but he seemed to not have much of a poker face. Feeling a bit better, Hux turned his attention back to Techie, who was rattling a thick box wrapped in bright pink balloon wrapping paper. 


	2. The SPCIS - What Kind of Acronym is THAT?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux finds out a bit about the SPCIS, and isn't that impressed. So Techie and Matt take it upon themselves to broaden his horizons.... ;)

### Chapter 2: The SPCIS - What Kind of Acronym is THAT?

“You could totally have dressed up as Hawkeye,” Hux heard Poe addressing him as he made his way back from using the bathroom. The man had taken off the Hulk foam head apparatus in order to eat, but he still hadn’t taken off the rest of the suit. He looked rather comical at the moment with his dark hair swept in different directions and the foam suit still puffed out around him. Poe continued, “You have the figure for him for sure! Matt, why didn’t you get Hux buddy over here in on the secret?”

“Because Hux had a tough day and needed some chill out time, that’s why. Plus, it wasn’t really my idea having your guys come over and do this whole charade with me for Techie’s birthday. You were the one who wanted to do that,” Matt replied, though he added with a grunt, “And it worked out well, so thank you for that. Still would have been nice to have had more than four hours notice about it.”

“Well, shit, man, it’s not like I could help it! You didn’t tell us about it until today, so I had to improvise. Kylo never has much of a life - oh don’t give me that look, you know it’s true! And Phasma didn’t have any plans, so it worked out fine,” Poe defended himself, though Hux could tell that Matt wasn’t as disgruntled as he let on.

Finally breaking in, Hux said softly, “Hawkeye is a nice character from Avengers, but I am more of an Iron Man fan, myself.”

“Yea, Hux digs Iron Man,” Techie mumbled from where he was laying on a plethora of pillows and cushions in front of the coffee table. Matt had him tucked into his arm, letting the long haired ginger birthday boy rest his head up against his boyfriend’s chest. There was a thick soft Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blanket wrapped around them both like they were trying to imitate one giant deformed burrito. Techie’s porg stuffie was hanging out to one side, and Hux had to step around the giant plush in order to get back to his seat.

Hux raised a brow at the fact that Kylo was also returning to the area, his hands carrying an Italian soda and a big bowl of popcorn. Figuring that most of the area was cleaned up from discarded pizza boxes and various empty drink cans or bottles, Hux sat down and folded his legs up underneath him on the couch, not wanting to get too comfortable. Sleeping on floors or sofas were Techie and Matt’s thing, but Hux’s joints got cranky if he slept in weird positions. Techie always tended to tease him about that, saying that he was getting arthritis in his old age - as if being two years older than the other ginger meant he was positively ancient.

Blinking slowly, Hux noted that Phasma had just sprawled out on the sofa she had been sharing with Kylo, making it impossible for the dark haired man to sit down without crushing her feet. Kylo rolled his eyes and looked around for another spot. Hux let out a slow sigh and let Kylo sit next to him, resolving to ignore the other man if possible. 

That was a bit harder than he expected, of course.

Kylo had a presence about him, and Hux was certain that even without that Loki garb on the man would be magnetic. He had a tension much like a coiled, but resting wolf. Hux wouldn’t be surprised if Kylo slept with one eye open, him being so tense with such presence. Kylo offered some popcorn once Techie started Avengers: Age of Ultron. Hux let out another tired sigh and accepted a handful of the offering, causing Kylo to smirk slightly.

Hux regarded the other man carefully before this time, he was the one to break eye contact. 

It wasn’t long into the movie before Kylo started fidgeting. For a man who looked like someone who could meditate for hours, Kylo had an attention span of a gnat. Hux rubbed his face and almost threw his soft black sofa cushion at Kylo when the man stretched yet again, his obscenely long legs dangerously close to his own. Hux finally let out a low Alpha growl of warning when Kylo did, in fact touch his hip with one of his black socked feet.

Kylo jerked his foot back and almost spilled his popcorn at the act.

Hux definitely wasn’t in the mood to have Kylo’s lack of a personal bubble theory come into play. He liked his personal bubble very much, especially when it came to having strangers around on a taxing day. Noting that no one else had heard him rumble his annoyance, Hux relaxed more and focused his attention on the movie. Once the movie was finished, extensive discussions over said movie ensued.

And after that came something quite unexpected for Hux.

“You know, we could totally use an extra person in our line of work, Phasma,” Techie suggested, causing Hux to straighten with interest. 

“Yes, we could.” Phasma nodded slowly, sipping her orange soda. “Do you know of someone qualified?”

“Well, of course! He’s like sitting right next to Kylo,” Techie pointed out. Before Hux could say anything, Techie added, “And he was just sacked today by the _Bitch Succubus Director_ from the _Fucking Bureau of Idiots_ so he’s got nothing lined up yet. And all because he lied a bit about his identity ten years ago. I just think she had it in for Hux. Everyone knows that Hux was the leader of the best team in the Loveland department. He was even offered promotions elsewhere but he never took them because he loved his team. Hux is extremely loyal, knows criminals like the back of his hands - because he used to be one, and he has special abilities like the rest of us. It’d be nice to have his expertise in the field as well as at headquarters.”

Kylo nearly choked on his popcorn at that. Hux almost had half of a mind to rap the poor sod on the back, but the man soon recovered. Honestly, if he hadn’t been so tired, Hux would have felt like crawling under the sofa and not coming out again with Techie giving away way too much information for his liking. Still, it seemed like other than Kylo nearly hacking up a lung, the other two coworkers weren’t affected at all. Curious.

“Techie, that’s not fair. There are plenty of competent people who work there, just not in management,” Hux chided lightly, figuring that if he didn’t, he’d feel bad for both Rey and Mitaka. At least his team had been competent.

When Techie rolled his eyes, Hux added, “Not that I mean to be rude, or anything of that nature - I am extremely grateful for your promoting of my person to these coworkers of yours Techie, even if you were airing a bit more information than I am comfortable with to people I don’t know, but what exactly do you guys do?” 

Hux stifled a yawn as he waited for someone to speak up. Phasma finished her drink and sat down her glass before she quipped, “Ah, but the question should be - what _DON’T_ we do?”

Kylo had no such tact in covering up his yawning. The act nearly split his face in half. 

Heathen.

Poe reached over and grabbed some leftover popcorn, muttering, “This is going to be good, I know it.”

“Ok, now I am not sure if I want to know,” Hux teased, of which nearly cost him a grumpy thrown pillow in the face from Techie. The pillow did land on his shoulder though, and Hux winced at the impact. Techie might be a soft and cuddly Omega, but he definitely was a vicious little demon when he was irritable.

Coughing slightly, Hux sobered and said seriously, “Since I know Techie is a good judge of character, as is Matt, I am still apt to listen, though I might not decide on anything tonight.”

“We wouldn’t expect you to. That would mean you were desperate, and from the look of this house, and the fact that you are here chilling with us and not searching asap for jobs - regardless of it being your brother’s birthday, I’d say you are the complete opposite,” Kylo said with a slight raspy voice. 

“Very well.” Hux nodded slowly, not mentioning that though he might not be outwardly frantic for jobs, he was still staving off anxiety and worry. “By all means, tell me what you do, and what you have in mind.”

### 

“So let me get this straight, you are all a part of an enhanced human organization that deals with taking down supernatural criminals?” Hux rubbed the bridge of his nose, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at this point.

Phasma slowly nodded and flopped over onto her back on the oversized black sofa she was currently occupying. “Think of it this way, Hux. Whenever the FBI, the CIA, or the regular Police Force, SWAT team, you name it - hell even the military - can’t figure out something that’s a bit spooky, they call us in to investigate and take down the bad guys. We are a private, non profit organization that is largely paid for by fundraisers, our own personal client donations, and our own incomes from various side jobs. Also, whenever we get ‘donations’ by someone outside of the legal system, we share the benefits.”

“Then how in the kriff have I not heard of you?” Hux was really starting to wonder if today was actually one big convoluted nightmare and he was still sleeping in it’s malicious throes. “You say you work with the FBI -”

“Yes, but only on certain levels. Case in point, we only deal with higher ups in each task force, regardless of which one it is. I doubt the director of the FBI would want to admit to her cookie cutter teams that there always is the option to be grey and work for us instead. That is probably why she fired you instead of putting you in our line of sight. Then again, if I am not wrong to assume so, it looks like you didn’t tell her about your gifts either.” Phasma smirked slowly when Hux reflexively clenched his gloved fists. “Whatever they are.”

After a long moment, Phasma went on, “We don’t discriminate against normal people, but we do tend to hire more people with special abilities as well as people who would rather be considered unsavory. Every single one of us has a criminal record of some sort or has certain skills that could land them on the wrong side of the law. In our line of work, it makes more sense to have people with higher advanced skill sets. For example, Kylo has both the ability to shapeshift into a hellhound, and also is one huge lie detector beacon. He can tell if someone is lying just by the sound of their voice, their scent, or if it’s a correspondence on paper or through electronic devices, he just senses it. He can also force someone to tell him the truth just by looking into their eyes. Nifty gift when dealing with nasty vampires who have had centuries to hone their lying skills.” 

“It makes it fucking annoying reading fiction, though, let me tell you,” Kylo rumbled with a scowl on his otherwise oddly attractive face. 

Hux regarded him carefully, noting that the man had a bit of butter from his popcorn on his cheek. Refraining from reaching over with a napkin to dab it off of the other Alpha, Hux finally murmured, “You all sound a bit like Supernatural’s equivalent to X-Men or possibly the Avengers - with a vigilante feel to it.” 

“Mmmm, vigilantes go way off the grid usually in order to get their objectives met. We don’t. We have rules to abide by so that we stay in the grey. Otherwise we wouldn’t have the resources we do, and we wouldn’t be sanctioned as a non profit organization.” Phasma chewed on her lower lip a bit before she sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. “And thanks for the compliment. Kind of nice to know that people don’t just think of the X-Files when they find out about what we do. It’s refreshing. Now, I know money isn’t your objective when you go looking for jobs, so what exactly is it? The thrill of the hunt? To give back to the community? Or does it go deeper still?”

Hux huffed out a slow sigh and admitted, “As corny as it sounds, I just want to give back what I took away from the community.”

“My hero,” Poe piped up with a small dramatic flare, absently deciding now was a good time to strip himself of his green foam suit. 

“Well aren’t you just a precious little _donut_ …. My heart actually **ached** with that sweetness,” Kylo chimed in with a sarcastic snort.

“Oh, lay off of Hux. He has his reasons for feeling the way he does,” Matt rumbled, an Alpha growl intertwined in the sound. It wasn’t really threatening, but it did drop the teasing at least. “And you won’t find a better person to get you places you want to go, or to find where things have been or how they were made.”

Not that Hux couldn’t fight his own battles, but, he was extremely tired and therefore allowed the other Alpha to defend his honor. Before Techie could add to the “defend Armie” brigade, Phasma arched a brow and assumed, “A psychometrist?”

Hux nodded slightly, a little surprised that the other Alpha knew what his gift and curse was called. “That and I can also teleport. The latter is much more difficult than the former, but I can control it most of the time. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to control my psychometry. Hence the gloves.” He raised both hands to show the gloves still gracing them. 

Poe whistled shrilly, finally managing to get the last part of the foam suit off of his legs. He threw the outfit behind his loveseat and stretched out. Underneath the suit Poe wore plain green yoga pants and an oversized black sleeveless shirt. A large tribal sun tattoo splayed on his left bicep. Otherwise the man’s tanned skin was largely unmarred except for faded random scars. If Hux really thought about it, he figured platonically that the other man was attractive in his own right.

Same with Phasma. She was also an attractive Alpha with her short blond hair and pale English features. Her slender, tall frame was of a nice build, and from the looks of things, she was very well at home in her own skin. The woman reeked of confidence - which wasn’t a bad thing, in Hux’s mind. 

Poe sat back down on the loveseat and huffed out a low sigh. “Well, if your intentions are pure like that, then that’s ok. As Matt said, we all have our reasons for doing the things we do. And if you are interested, you can always look us up on our website or hey, maybe you could come downtown sometime and take a look around. Our place ain’t secret, that’s for sure, but at least Techie has been very helpful in installing an upgraded security system on it. So if you do come down, make sure you let us know ahead of time so you don’t end up being shot at,” Poe suggested, reaching into his shirt pocket to pull out a small card. 

He tossed it to Hux, and though he was practically running on fumes, the ginger snatched it out of the air with ease. Kylo watched him without comment, though he did finally take up a napkin and wipe the grease off of his lips and cheeks.

Hux let out a deep sigh and looked over the card. Snorting, he couldn’t help but ask, “The SPCIS, what in the kriff kind of acronym is that?”

“Armie, don’t be rude. It’s a mouthful but it’s better than a lot I’ve heard about over the years,” Techie chided sleepily, the Omega nearly asleep by now.

Choosing not to comment on that, Hux just shrugged and read the fine print of a small slogan on the back aloud, “The Starkiller Private Criminal Investigations Squad. Our team of sleuths is lead by the notorious reformed villains known as the the Hound, the Brave, the Tech, the Chrome Captain, and the Dragon. If you need an investigation of the sensitive paranormal sort and have the money to donate for our time and discretion, we will be happy to assist you! Cash is accepted only.” So much for being a non profit organization. Hux shook his head a bit and said, “I think I’ll be fine, but if I ever get desperate, I’ll call you.”

Techie wrinkled his nose a bit in annoyance, but then shrugged. Hux sighed softly and suggested, “Anyone ready for dessert or tea? We don’t have much stocked, and Techie already ate his ice cream cake. But we do have cookies.”

If Kylo were a dog, Hux would have sworn that his ears would have perked straight up in the air. Suddenly the man turned a full on wide eyed adorable pout in his direction. “You have cookies? What kind?”

Hux felt the sudden urge to say exactly what kind, where they were, and how many boxes of each were available. Phasma got up and swatted the back of Kylo’s head as she made her way to the kitchen, stating plainly, “Behave and stop that.”

As soon as Kylo’s eyes turned away, Hux felt the compulsion go away. That was definitely something to experience. Grumpily, Hux reached out and shoved the other man on the shoulder, which was like trying to shove a mountain. The man was definitely built. Hux felt heat go through his lower extremities and he forced himself to snap, “Don’t ever do that again to me. If you do, I’ll castrate you.”

The look he received from Kylo was one of amusement, but then it quickly turned to horrified awe when Techie piped up, “Just don’t borrow my knives when you do it, ok Armie?”

### 

_The following Monday….._

Hux was not one to usually get upset with Techie. Granted, every once in a while, he got irritated or annoyed by his younger brother - as most older brothers did with their younger siblings. But, today, another Monday, the sneaky, conniving little Omega scourge was testing his patience. 

Currently, he was in the trunk of Techie and Matt’s Impala, bound and gagged. His head was still groggy thanks to a lovely handy dandy tranquilizer dart his brother had pointedly shot him with not even half an hour ago. Granted, it was a smaller tranq, and therefore he would be regaining his faculties in less than another half hour or so, but Hux still was pretty perturbed. 

It had been only one week. Just one, since he’d been sacked from the FBI. One solid week and though he had turned up nothing on the job search front, he still had been optimistic about something opening up shortly. 

Surely Techie understood this? That he was working hard trying to find something else? 

Trying to get his currently fogged brain to wrap around what had happened earlier, Hux let out a low growl of annoyance. It made no sense why Techie would turn on him like this! He hadn’t been THAT annoying, had he? And the fact that Matt was in on this whole thing too made Hux’s blood boil. Granted, he was glad and respected Matt for sticking with his brother’s plan - whatever the plan may be, but still, did he have to be so rough with him? And tossing him into the back of the Impala as if he were just a bloody sack of potatoes?

All he remembered saying was that he’d have to be completely desperate in order to try and apply for that nonsense job at the SPCIS. That was all! End of discussion. Yes, perhaps Techie had been trying to give him a solution to his job search, but really? Honestly he hadn’t offended Techie with turning down that pathetic option…. Or had he?

Trying hard not to flop as the Impala tumbled over a huge pothole the size of Kansas, Hux tried again to get his marbles straight in his poor mind. Techie had looked pretty put out and even disappointed with him after Hux had made that comment. Then he had calmly stood up, went into his room, came back out and shot Hux in the kriffing _ASS_ with a stunner dart. How in the karking hell had Techie come by such a weapon? Or perhaps the more rational question was “who” had given it to him?

Hux let out a muffled yelping growl as the Impala made a sharp turn, causing him to bang the right side of his head and shoulder into the top of the trunk. 

Granted, he had to admit that this seemed to be a well thought out plan. The dart caused him to be out of it enough that he couldn’t concentrate on teleporting, much less anything else besides trying to keep himself from flopping around like a demented zombie corpse.

Maybe he had been a bit too harsh on the SPCIS. After all, Techie and Matt both worked there, and their coworkers had seemed sincere if a bit eccentric. Suddenly Techie slammed on the brakes and Hux felt himself hit the front part of the trunk nearest to the back seat with a painful thud. Hux let out a slow whine. Oh yes, that smarted. He definitely had a few more bruises now.

Perhaps he had really annoyed Techie. His brother had put his hands on his hips and had told Hux plainly to get over himself and to stop moping just yesterday. 

That thought suddenly gave him pause. 

Kriff. An annoyed Techie was a very _dangerous_ Techie.

The car suddenly moved again, and Hux was thrown this time onto his chest and face. Letting out another surprised and muffled yelp, Hux momentarily was unable to breathe until he got his face to the side. At least they hadn’t bound him to the point where he couldn’t move his head or neck.

There were a few more turns and stops before finally they seemed to have come to their destination. By then, Hux was sore all over and vowing 1) to have a long discussion with Techie and 2) to never, ever, piss him off again. Hux stiffened as much as his foggy brain could control as he heard both car doors slam. The vehicle jostled slightly at the force and Hux let out a soft, ragged sigh. Soon he was nearly blinded by the sudden opening of the trunk lip. He blinked a few times and felt incredibly vulnerable as both his brother and Matt looked in on him dispassionately.

Trying to make himself look as pitiful as possible, Hux managed to roll over onto his back and show his stomach to Techie. It was the only motion he could do besides using pleading eyes to show that he was sorry and that he’d be a good boy. He hardly ever made his Omega brother pissed off, but when he did, this seemed to be the only way to placate him. Natural, born animal instincts between Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Non verbal, just acted out.

Techie’s hard blue eyes softened a bit, but then he huffed and ended up taping something to Hux’s chest. “This is for your own good, Armie.” Suddenly Techie’s mouth trembled and he pushed on, “If you hate me, fine, I’ll manage somehow. But, you gotta stop moping and being all butt-munchy. Do the interview. And if you end up not getting the job, I’ll drop it all and you can go back to hating the SPCIS and thinking it is stupid.”

Ah fuck, did that mean that they had dragged him all the way to downtown Denver to the SPCIS headquarters? Kriff. Hux sighed softly and flopped a bit uselessly, resigned. He really didn’t want to think about all this, about an upcoming interview he hadn’t wanted or been prepared for, or about the high probability that Techie was right. Maybe it was best to put his cursed gifts to good use. Hiding in the shadows all his life was taking its toll.

That didn’t mean he was happy and leaping for absolute joy over this. Even if he got the job, Hux didn’t know how anything would work. Or if he would be a right fit in general. Techie sighed softly, probably noting that Hux now had dismissed him, and whispered shakily, “Get him out and sit him in front of Phasma’s office. I probably shouldn’t have driven like that. He’s got bruises forming.”

Hux pointedly ignored Techie, though his eyes softened when Matt told Techie, “You can patch him up this evening.”

“If he even allows me to touch him,” Techie whispered, before he headed to get back in the car, leaving Hux’s fate in the hands of his burly mate. Hux briefly felt a bit bad about the whole situation, and hoped that Techie wouldn’t get an anxiety attack over this, but he still had to stick by his feelings on this one.

“Look, I know you’ve been through it rough last week, but give the SPCIS a chance, will you?” Matt rumbled, reaching over to get Hux out of the trunk awkwardly. Hux didn’t move much, though he did adjust his neck and head a bit so it didn’t get bashed against the trunk lid on the way out. “If not for your sake, for Techie’s. He’s been so worried about you.”

 _Beautiful way of showing it,_ Hux mused silently, but sighed as he was unceremoniously, but carefully slung over Matt’s shoulder. 

Giving up on trying to get an eye on their surroundings as Matt walked towards the SPCIS headquarters, his brain not liking the dizzying swaying motions, Hux closed his eyes and hoped to whatever deity there was out there that he wouldn’t end up losing his breakfast all over Phasma or anyone else’s shoes. Opening his eyes slightly, feeling a bit less queasy, Hux took note that his brother’s mate did have a very nice ass, platonically speaking. 

Once inside the vast grey building, Matt paused for a moment at the security gate to do a retina scan. Hux was able to look around a bit then, noting that the interior of the building looked like a simple office space - perhaps with a bit more budget than middle class, but not too elite. In fact, it almost looked like the FBI headquarters in Denver - of which he only frequented whenever there were regional meetings. 

Several offices lined either side of the first floor, but Matt paid them no mind once he got through security. No one asked him at all about the body he had slung over his shoulder, and that made Hux wonder if this wasn’t the first time Matt had done this. Awkwardly Matt took him to the elevator and managed to get them both inside without banging Hux’s head up against the side. Paying attention to the code clicks Matt punched in, Hux felt the odd sensation of gravity loosening a bit. They were going down.

An underground headquarters. Interesting.

They went down for some time, and then the elevator slowed and stopped gently with a hissing click. Once the door slid open, Matt adjusted Hux slightly and headed down a long, well lit, black marble floor hallway. The walls were white with tasteful, but corny art pieces depicting space, UFOs, fantastical creatures, and scenes from old horror movies. 

He must have entered the Twilight Zone. Either that, or the blood was rushing way too fast into his head for him to think rationally. 

Matt finally seemed to come to his destination - for they had passed several black thick steel doors, and stopped. Hux’s head was starting to swim and it got even worse when Matt finally decided to unload him. Though the tall blonde haired man did his best to be gentle, Hux still felt like his whole world shifted and it nearly had him vomiting through his gag. Matt adjusted him gently and got him to where he was propped up against the wall opposite of apparently Phasma’s office. Scowling a bit in concentration, Matt looked him over with a worried frown. “Techie was right. You got some bruises.”

 _No shit, Sherlock,_ Hux thought, but only settled for a tired glower that had Matt smirking slightly. 

“There we go, that’s the Hux I know.” Matt then ruffled his already fucked up hair before straightening and turning to knock on Phasma’s door.

“Who is it?” Phasma’s muffled voice came through the thick door.

“Just Matt, delivering a package from Techie,” Matt replied with a snort.

“What? I didn’t order a…. Oh,” Phamsa said as she opened the door and spotted both Matt and Hux. Coming out into the hallway to get a closer look at Hux, she slowly smirked, making Hux wish he had his mouth free so he could bite the nearest spectator’s ankle. She snorted and looked at the plastered piece of paper on his chest. Hux suddenly flushed scarlet when Phasma started reading the message out loud, “ _‘Please deliver Mr. Denial Starch Pants unpackaged and unharmed after the interview to the server room - Techie.’_ Goodness, it’s a good thing I know how to read binary. What did you do to piss him off?”

Hux huffed out a deep annoyed sigh, and Matt helpfully answered, “Just being a brat. Not that I blame him, just Techie’s worried about him, so…. That explain it, kind of?”

Phasma nodded in understanding, her eyes softening slightly. “Yes, it does. You can go, Matt. I’ll make sure he’s handled with care.”

“Cool beans, thanks,” Matt rumbled before he patted Hux’s hair a bit and left back the way he’d came. Hux scowled at his retreating back for a minute before he turned his gaze back to Phasma, who looked like a slender Amazon warrior princess from this angle. 

Phasma put her hands on her hips and smiled slowly, almost looking more like a predatory panther stalking her prey now. She purred softly, “Let’s make a deal, Hux…..”

### 

Hux still hadn’t spoken a word to Techie, even though it was high time that the ginger break the ice between them. His mouth still ached from the gag, and numerous bruises were purpling his forehead, arms, back, and side. 

It had been several hours since Hux had had his impromptu interview with Phasma. Regardless of the fact that Phasma had not only taken his bindings and gag off with care, and had truly grilled him with intelligent and job pertinent questions, the interview still had felt like one big sham. However, once Phasma had finally started explaining what exactly Hux would be doing if he were hired on as part of the team, the ginger had listened with interest.

That part of it actually sounded not so bad. 

Apparently every person at the SPCIS had roles, had jobs that fit both their personalities and their skill sets - however every person learned each other’s jobs just in case something bad happened and they had to compensate. So, if Hux was hired, he would be spending half his shifts training on his own job and the other half shadowing someone else on their job - even if it meant going on missions attached to them like an obedient dog. It would be like this for 5 solid months. He would shadow a different person at the start of each month. For example, if he shadowed Phasma this month on her position, next month he would switch and shadow Poe, etc. 

Phasma had been very clear that though Hux was not expected to excel at what each person at the SPCIS did, he had to at least be proficient enough where he could assist should something go wrong and they had one or more people down for the count. At the end of each month, Hux would be tested by his shadow trainer, and if he failed the test, he would have one more month training and one more chance to get it right. If he failed the second time, he would be unceremoniously booted out of the job. Hux could respect that. At least they were willing to give a person a second chance. Some people just didn’t do well on tests even if they were fabulously hard workers and excelled at what they did.

After the fifth month and if Hux passed all the tests, he would have one final exam at the end of the sixth month in his own field of expertise. Only then would he be considered a full fledged SPCIS member and would be able to work full time in his position (which Phasma explained was going to be dealing with anything legal, and/or under the table), as well as accounting. So though it seemed a bit boring - going over numbers and handling attorneys, etc, Phasma expressed that it was way more fun than that. Hux would use his psychometry once it was more under his control to get a feel of not just where things might have been, but also to eventually use it on people. 

Hux was more than a bit concerned about the whole “use it on people” deal. The last time Hux had used his ability on a person, he’d been not only scarred for life, but he’d also turned mentally into a monster and had caused such havoc that it had almost put him behind bars for life. He’d only been seventeen at the time. Hux had been lucky that the jury had taken pity on him and had him only in jail for four years with parole for two more years tagged on.

Phasma assured him however that if push came to shove and Hux wasn’t able to use it on a person, then that would be ok. Hux would have been suspicious about that, but he’d seen the papers and job specifications during the interview. All the fine writing, too. Not one person at the SPCIS would force him to do something he was not comfortable with when it came to his supernatural abilities. 

As for teleportation, Hux would also be allowed to practice it as well. Though there weren’t many people out there that had his teleportation or psychometry abilities, Hux still would be able to work with at least Kylo in practicing. Apparently, the eccentric man was a self defense and offensive guru and knew how to get people to focus on their gifts. He therefore trained all of the members of the SPCIS on the side with self defense courses if it was needed. Hux wasn’t so sure if he wanted to work with the mouthy male like that, but he still had some time to think about all this before he needed to give Phasma an answer.

After the interview, Phasma had taken him on a small tour of the underground facility, showing some nice sized offices and what was considered non-classified or safe areas in a large circular format. From what he had seen, the place could have been used as an underground bunker if they had to go under lock down or even deal with a legit terrorist attack. Granted, most of the supernatural part of the job didn’t necessarily deal with those kind of threats, but it was nice to know that if something really bad happened, that they all would be safe here. The lack of windows didn’t bother Hux as much as it should, but that probably was due to the fact that the facility was large, roomy and made to dispel claustrophobia. Phasma had said that there were even some rooms attached to the main network of offices that housed bunks, bathrooms with showers, a gym, and even a kitchen. 

The last room to view was a place that was formerly named the “Server / Security Analysis” room, and was now labeled simply “Techie’s Lair” in big bold glow in the dark green and pink letters with flower stickers plastered all over the door. Phasma had knocked on the door and had left Hux to face his brother alone. Hux had put on the biggest bitch face he could muster, crossing his arms over his chest, though he wasn’t as annoyed and wary as he had been earlier. 

The door opened carefully, and Techie had poked his head out to give Hux a shy and wary look. Though Hux could tell Techie had been crying a little bit, he refused to let his brother’s distress sway him. It really didn’t bother him that Techie had nearly bruised Hux’s body up to bits by having him in that blasted trunk. No. What really bothered Hux was the fact that though his brother obviously cared about him and wanted him to succeed, etc, Techie had done all this without his permission. Binding, gagging, the whole fiasco of being put in the boot of a kriffing car was easily forgiven. Even the tranquilizer could be forgiven. But honestly? Dragging him here of all places and essentially forcing him to do an unwanted interview with people he didn’t trust - that was something different all together. Putting him on the spot like that… it was something not as easy to forgive.

So Hux had not spoken to him, even though Techie had apologized for almost an hour before finally sniffling and quieting. Techie showed Hux around then, trying hard to be brave and that, that is what almost broke Hux’s sullen silent treatment. Still, he endured and even reached out to pull the upset Omega into his arms for a comforting hug. Techie had bawled a bit then and though Hux was still of the frame of mind of giving his brother the silent treatment, he had crooned softly. The act had lessened Techie’s sobs and finally the long haired ginger asked with a broken hiccup, “Will you ever forgive me?”

Hux had almost rolled his eyes - almost. Instead he’d just sighed and stroked his brother’s hair. 

Matt picked them up a few hours later, and by then Techie had stopped crying and was eagerly tapping away on his computer, babbling nonsense about numbers and various details about the team and what they did. He even started telling Hux about some of the missions they’d had in the past seven months since Techie and Matt started working there. Hux wasn’t so sure he should know any of this - considering a lot of what the SPCIS did was supposed to be sort of classified. But, he figured if it kept Techie from having a massive panic attack and obsessing over Hux’s lack of vocal response, then that was ok.

On the ride back to the safe house, this time with Hux in the back seat of the Impala and not in the trunk, Hux still kept quiet, though he did have to adjust himself a few times whenever they ran over a nasty pothole. They really needed to fix that kriffing road.

Now that they were back at the safe house, Hux was in his rooms, going over the nice sized pamphlet Phasma had given him. It was a more in depth booklet of information and details about the position he’d just unwillingly applied for, as well as some background history of the SPCIS and how it was formed. Starting salary was largely dependent on donations, but it was adequate. Also, there was a full benefits package, one way better than the one he had originally at the FBI. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Hux arched a brow at the fact that at the beginning of each year, each member of the SPCIS was allotted a maximum of one month paid time off and two weeks worth of sick time, of which they could use as little or as much as they wanted during that full year. Whatever they didn’t use at the end of the year was put into an emergency fund to be used in case something drastic happened and one or more people in the organization maxed out on their time off and sick time and still needed more time out of work. 

Hux wasn’t so sure he would ever use a whole month’s vacation time, much less two weeks of sick time, but it was nice to know that the option was available each year. 

As for rules to abide by - there were only seven listed in the booklet, but they were very clearly stated: _“Rule one: Always tell the truth even if it hurts. If your coworker looks like they just came out from under a rock - tell them so they can go find a mirror and get it fixed. Little white lies are well and good until someone gets hurt because your idiot ass forgot to mention one small truth or detail on a mission. Trust may be earned, but it sure helps if you always tell the truth no matter what the occasion. Rule two: Always cover your coworkers back if you can. We work as a team and we trust each other. Though healthy competition is accepted and encouraged, do not let it get in the way of the mission. Rule three: Dissention isn’t tolerated. If you have a bone to pick with someone, do it outside of work and outside of a mission. Rule four: Work your ass off and you will get rewarded in your own way. Anything less than your best is not an option unless you are dead or injured/sick to the point it’s impossible. Rule five: There is a fine line between Stupidity and Genius. Don’t be an ass-butt. Use your brain. If the toilet is clogged in the only bathroom for a hundred miles and it looks bad enough you can’t plunge it, get someone who can get it fixed for you, don’t make the problem WORSE - and risk flooding the entire gas station. Rule six: Always ask questions - no question is a stupid question. We’d rather you get something right than do something stupid and get yourself or others killed. Rule seven: Do NOT bring the supernatural to work with you. We don’t want to exorcise your workspace (and we certainly don’t want the added pleasure of decontaminating the rest of headquarters). If you decide to bring a friendly ghoul or angel home with you - that’s your deal and your mess, but please don’t bring it to work.”_

“Let’s make a deal, my ass,” Hux mumbled to himself as he read a bit more. Phasma had agreed to take off his bindings and gag if Hux agreed to hear her out and have a full twenty four hours to think the job details over before giving her a firm answer to the job offer. He hadn’t really had much of a choice, but the more he read up on this job, and the options it entailed - it was much easier to see the appeal. 

Those were the strangest set of rules he’d ever seen in a job pamphlet, and it seemed like everyone had their own schedule of working hours. If they wanted to come in and do forty hours in four days or work eighty hours in one week, it didn’t matter. A person that wasn’t much of a morning person could come in and work late, and vise versa. However, if there was a mission, then all members of the SPCIS came in at the same time and worked the same hours. The only way it would be different is if there was a stake out and they needed to do shift work. On call work was a given, regardless of the situation. So even if a person worked their eighty hours one week and was needing rest, they would still be on call - but they would be the last person to be called. The only way a person would not be called is if they were on vacation or were extremely ill. 

With a soft huff, Hux put the pamphlet down and went to go wash up. After a long hot shower that eased up his tense and bruised muscles, Hux felt a whole lot better. Now dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a dark green and black long sleeved shirt with matching socks, he padded downstairs. On his way down he nearly collided with one Kylo Ren. Instant reflexes had Hux reaching out to steady himself and he let out a hiss when his bare hands connected with the larger man’s bare but tribal tattoo circled biceps. 

He’d forgotten his gloves. 

“Fucking shit, I am sorry! Techie said you might be up here moping… hey, are you ok?” Ren’s voice rumbled and Hux felt a flush creep all over him. Shivering, he stared at his hands on Ren’s biceps, the skin so soft and lightly furred under his fingertips. How long had it been since he’d touched another soul without his gloves? He felt Kylo’s hands at his waist, the thick fingers digging lightly but firmly against him so easily. Kylo was wearing black cargo shorts, a black sleeveless shirt that looked a size too small, a long chain silver necklace with a crescent moon hanging from it and flip flops adorning mammoth sized adorable feet. Karking hell….

Swallowing carefully, Hux lifted his gaze to meet Ren’s, the other Alpha’s intoxicating scent practically smothering his senses. Concerned, but molten hot dark eyes met his and Hux felt as if he’d been electrocuted. The stare was piercing, intense, and way too powerful for him to take just now. He wasn’t prepared for this, for any of it. Hux pulled away from him as if burned, stumbling back into the stair rail. He grabbed it without thinking and he was immediately sent into a vision.


	3. Job: Accepted… for NOW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux decides to accept the unavoidable, and finds out Kylo's driving skills are... a bit reckless.

### Chapter 3: Job: Accepted… for NOW

 _A man nearly breaking his hand as the tree fell under his saw._

_The wood wailing as it was planked, carved, and formed. Cell structure changing as it was sanded, purified, and stained._

_The wood still thrived though it was now not part of a tree in the woods. It was not dead though it seemed as it were so._

_It was alive. It’s cells dormant, asleep, without pain now._

_Many hands touched it as it was built into a railing on the stairs. Some hands were rougher than others._

_Several owners, young and old touched it’s moulding, it’s smooth lacquer._

Hux woke to the sound of yelling, the feel of being carried, and the smell of a comforting person with skin that did not set off his cursed gift. Briefly, he tried swallowing, but it felt like dust from the wood in his vision had clogged up his throat to feel like sandpaper. His cheek lay on a broad breastbone, nose burrowed in it’s barely clothed warmth. He could hear and feel the throb of Ren’s heart as the tall man carried him downstairs. As his mind cleared, he noted that he should probably not like being carried by this man so much. 

But, there was something about Ren that made Hux feel safer than he had felt in a long time. Of course, he would rather eat glass than tell him that.

He heard Techie’s panicked voice, “Oh kriff, where are his gloves? Jesus, what was he thinking not wearing them?” 

“I am not sure. I think I startled him or something. He was coming downstairs and I literally bumped into him and then he… he….” Ren sounded so panicked.

Honestly Hux figured he should feel a bit pleased that the man seemed so concerned about him. So why was he so upset that the other man was panicked? Something deep inside him rose up, wanting to protect this man for some odd reason. As if Ren needed protecting.

“Here, put him on the island, be careful with his hands - make sure they don’t touch anything if you can. Mattie, can you go find his gloves? They are probably in the bathroom. His hair still looks wet,” Techie’s hushed voice filtered in. Hux heard Matt grunt in assent before Ren moved. The ginger let out a soft hum as his breathing, talking, soft pillow shifted.

Hux felt himself be lowered onto what he assumed to be the kitchen island. The marble top felt cool on his face. “Um… is all his skin sensitive like that or is it just his hands?” Ren’s voice rumbled.

“His hands and feet act as main conductors to his psychometry abilities, so that’s why he normally wears gloves or socks no matter what. Though the rest of his skin doesn’t trigger episodes, it still is incredibly sensitive,” Techie explained softly. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Hux let out a gasp as he felt a cool wet washcloth suddenly start caressing his forehead. He assumed it was Techie, for he could still feel Kylo’s huge hands at his clothed wrists, keeping them from touching anything. Instinctively Hux wanted to curl in up into a fetal position, but as out of it as he was, he could still sense that he needed to stay still as much as possible, lest he cause another episode. Opening his eyes a bit, everything was all a blur and he licked his lips and tried to blink a few more times unsuccessfully.

Techie shushed him a bit and even started wiping his eyelids with the cool, damp washcloth. It felt nice so Hux settled more, letting his eyes rest. 

“Well we both collided with one another, and his hands went to my bare arms and my hands went to his… his hips, to hold him steady. And then he just looked stunned, as if he was shocked that he was touching me or something, and I asked him if he was ok, then that seemed to snap him out of whatever funk he was in. Then he let go of me as if I was an electric fence and reached be-behind himself and grabbed onto the railing and then passed out. If I hadn’t been there to catch him as he went down - kriff, is he going to be ok? It was _my_ fault wasn’t it? Did he get shocked doubly?” Ren explained in a rush of air. That was probably the longest string of words Hux had ever heard someone utter with one breath. And living with someone who babbled often, that said something.

“I don’t think he’s had a double episode before, but I am not sure. And, no, it’s not your fault Kylo. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I bound, gagged, and drug him all the way to headquarters to interview with Phasma and stressed him out. I shouldn’t have done it. Maybe if I hadn’t have done it, then maybe he wouldn’t have been so absent minded. He never forgets his gloves!” Techie was starting to sniffle again, but this time Hux figured enough was enough.

“Techie, it’s ok. I am ok. You are ok. Matt’s ok. Hell, Ren’s ok I think. We all are ok,” Hux rasped before he coughed a few times. He sighed in relief when Matt arrived with his gloves and he was able to slip them on with little help. “And if it’s anyone’s fault it’s _mine_. If I wasn’t such an annoying son of an asshat, then you wouldn’t have felt the need to make a point.”

Hux let out a startled ‘oof’ as he got an armful of Techie. He really should have expected that.

Matt thankfully pulled off the damp washcloth so he could open his eyes. Things were still a bit blurry but after Hux had blinked a few times, his vision returned completely. Techie’s sea of whimsical ginger hair was tickling his cheek, but otherwise he could see Kylo worriedly looking down at him and Matt looking a bit concerned as well - though he was looking at Techie. Matt reached out and rubbed Techie’s back and uttered softly, “I don’t like it when you two fight. It makes Techie wanna die. I don’t care who’s fault it is, but if you hadn’t have made up with him soon I would have pounded you into the next century, you got me?”

Hux cringed inwardly at the thought and sighed softly, reaching up to rub Techie’s hair. He nodded slowly. “Duly noted.”

Ren must have noticed his raspy throat, for the man went over to the kitchen cabinets and got out a glass to fill with water from the tap. Tap water was disgusting but Hux was too thirsty to complain. Besides, since he had a human sized personified koala bear attached to his person, it wasn’t like Hux could get up and get a glass of purified water himself. Matt tugged lightly on Techie. “Come on now, my love, get up. Let the man drink some water, ok?”

Techie sniffled and nodded before he detached himself from his older brother. Kylo handed Hux the glass of water once the ginger was able to sit up slowly. Hux took up the glass with a small raspy grunt in thanks before he slowly sipped the cool water. 

“Oh my god, you look all bruisey!” Techie exclaimed, nearly bursting into tears again. “I could have hurt you really bad earlier.”

“I am like you, Techie, I bruise easily,” Hux commented once he could speak without sounding like he’d just gargled with sandpaper. “And since I know you won’t listen to me if I tell you not to worry about it, you can make it up to me by ordering the usual from my favorite Italian restaurant. And then going with Matt to pick it up.” That’s the least Matt could do for going along with this charade, and the blonde knew it. The other Alpha huffed softly and did as he was instructed, though he didn’t seem too upset about it.

“You sure?” Techie asked, letting out a soft whine, reaching out to lightly touch some of Hux’s purpling bruises on his cheek and neck. “I can totally put some arnica salve on these bruises for you.”

“I’ll handle them later, Techie. It’s fine. And I am really getting hungry. You know how episodes like these make me ravenous,” Hux insisted, trying not to flinch away from his brother’s gentle touches on his bruises. 

Techie gave him another few hugs and even some relieved nuzzles before he ruffled Hux’s hair and skipped downstairs, talking a mile a minute on the phone to Cafe Jordano’s. Hux breathed out a long sigh in relief as both men drove off. 

Noting that he still wasn’t alone, Hux looked over at Ren curiously. The tall, moled, freckled, and tanned man hovered, though he backed away when Hux got off of the island carefully. 

Once completely straightened, Hux softly said, “Thank you.” It was the least he could do, considering what might have happened had he’d fallen possibly to his death. That stairwell was beautifully designed, but it was still dangerous. One false move, or in his case, one fainting vision spell, and he could have ended up with a broken neck.

Kylo nodded sagely and absently murmured, “Any time.”

When Hux made to move past him, the other Alpha reached out as if to touch him. Hux arched a brow and looked into those dark electrifying eyes again, but this time he wasn’t blindsided by their effect. “Are you sure that you are alright?” Kylo asked, dropping his hand to rub at his shirt in a somewhat nervous act.

“No, but I will be,” Hux admitted, walking over with his glass of water to sit down in a more comfortable setting. He folded his legs up to his chest once he sat down in one of the soft sofas in the lounge. Not wanting to admit that he didn’t want to be alone right now, but also not necessarily wanting to divulge any secrets, Hux went silent and pensive.

Kylo seemed to take it in stride, for he grabbed himself a beer from the fridge and came over to join him, though he kept his space. Hux was grateful for that. “Is that why you had them go all the way to Lakewood for food?” Kylo rumbled after a few long minutes of congenial silence. “So you could calm down and that they would have something to do instead of worry?”

“Partly. But, there is more to it than that,” Hux answered, slowly sipping his water. Hugging his knees to his chest, Hux added carefully, “When I go through something like this, it’s easier to have silence, to have peace. Some people have inner demons and can’t stand the silence, but I am the opposite. I have my fair share of inner demons, but after an episode like this, they are blessedly quiet. I like to revel in it for a while.”

“Sensory overload must be a bitch,” Kylo commented with a small smirk, of which Hux gave a small twitch of his lips in answer. The man pulled out his phone and started texting. Soon he put it away, slowly drinking his beer.

“That it is,” Hux said quietly a moment later. And then he shrugged, “You might as well text Matt or Techie your order. It’s damn good Italian food where they are going.”

“Been there, done that. Cafe Jordano’s is one of my favorite places, too.” Kylo never asked why Hux let him stay, and the ginger was thankful for that.

Perhaps there were more layers to Ren than met the eye. 

About ten minutes later, Hux finally asked Kylo, “Why are you here? Just visiting or was there something more you wanted? If I recall correctly, you were heading upstairs to find me.”

Ren looked a bit uncomfortable for a full minute, going so far as to avoid Hux’s gaze on his person until he finally admitted, “I wanted to look at your car again. And Techie told me to go fetch you for dinner since you and him were having issues, so… yea. I really dig your um… _car_. I really dig your car and I wanted to be nice and ask if I could look at it again.”

Hux didn’t know whether to be amused or exasperated. For someone who could easily get a person to tell the truth, Ren was one pitiful excuse of a liar. Hux regarded him silently for a few minutes, trying to figure out the puzzle that was Kylo Ren. 

“What?” The petulant grunt that came off of other Alpha’s lips had Hux nearly snorting in mirth. “I have manners!”

“I didn’t accuse you of having none, Ren.” Hux finished his water and set the empty glass down on the glass accented wood end table carefully, hiding his smirk. “You just surprised me is all. You may look at my car. I can even let you take her for a spin later if you’d like.”

“I-really?” Ren’s eyes went from suspicious to ecstatic in a second flat. The man had absolutely no poker face, and though it should have been downright annoying to Hux, it was a bit endearing. When the ginger Alpha nodded his assent, Kylo breathed out a soft and awed ‘thank you’. 

Hux almost felt jealous of his own car, but he pushed those thoughts away. It wasn’t like he knew Ren personally, and he WAS being courteous. That was all. And the fact that he’d never let anyone - not even Techie drive his new car meant nothing _at all_.

### 

About an hour later, Techie and Matt arrived back at the safe house, laden down with bags of delicious smelling food. Hux hadn’t been lying when he’d said that vision episodes always left him ravenous. His stomach rumbled as he laid out plates, silverware, and napkins on the kitchen island. Kylo had gone down to help the boys bring up the food since Hux was being a generous host and bringing out things they would need to use for dinner. Though Cafe Jordano’s was notorious for having adequate eating utensils, Hux was partial to the square, sleek, blue plates and nicely accented silverware that the safe house had. Plus, they didn’t get used very often, so Hux always wanted to have any excuse in order to use them, regardless if there were dirty dishes that needed to be cleaned afterwards. 

Techie went straight for Hux once he got on top of the stairs, squealing and effectively glomping his brother, who was still feeling a bit off from his earlier episode. Hux mustered the strength to accept and return the worried Omega’s attentions before he nudged Techie to the side. Matt and Kylo started dismantling the brown sacks filled to the rim with delicious goods and Hux felt his stomach rumble again irritably. 

If anyone else heard it, no one commented on it. Hux breathed in the smell of crostini and fresh bread. He could live off of that alone with a huge salad and be fine, though he also loved chicken parmesan as well. Techie went to get a spatula so he could dish out food with more ease and bonked into his mate on the way back. Matt paused and steadied the long haired ginger before leaning in for a quick rumbling kiss. Hux and Kylo watched with amusement as Techie let out an answering Omega whine before he absently swatted the Alpha on the bicep with the spatula. Matt rolled his eyes good naturedly and let go of his mate to grab some drinks from the fridge. 

Staving off a small bit of hidden curiosity, Hux noted that Techie got his usual, which was chicken alfredo with extra cheese, Matt had decided on buffalo, and Kylo had chicken bolognese. While eating dinner there wasn’t much discussion about anything really, and Techie kept a firm lid on anything SPCIS oriented, of which Hux appreciated. Hux very nearly choked on a piece of bread when he heard Kylo let out a borderline pornographic moan of pleasure as he took in his first bite of chicken. Narrowing his eyes at the other Alpha, Hux noted that the expression on Ren’s face was one of enraptured enjoyment. And though Hux could totally understand loving one’s food, it was still a bit uncomfortable witnessing in this sort of setting. He suddenly felt altogether too hot and scandalized, so he carefully adjusted his legs to keep his attention from going off the deep gutter end. 

Techie and Matt paid Kylo no mind, and eventually the Omega was finished with his plate and still a bit hungry. He pouted at Matt for a few minutes before the Alpha sighed in resignation and started to feed him a few bites of his buffalo. Hux had no idea where Techie kept all of that food, but he wasn’t one to talk. He also cleaned his plate and ate over half of the crostini, plus a large salad. 

When Kylo offered to do the dishes, Hux was about to object as the man was a guest in their house, but then the other Alpha shrugged and added, “You guys got dinner and I get to drive your car around for a bit. Let me do this, ok?”

That was surprisingly… nice of him.

While Kylo washed up the dishes, Techie came over to plonk his ass down next to Hux and said very seriously, “I am sorry Armie. I shouldn’t have taken your choice away. That’s what pissed you off, right?”

“Well, that amongst being thrown in the back of a trunk.”

“Ok.”

“And being tranquilized.”

“Uh huh.”

“And being bound and gagged and essentially _kidnapped_.”

“Armie….”

Hux sighed. “Yes, I don’t like choices as important as these taken away from me. It feels almost like a betrayal. I know you had my best interests at heart, but it still made me feel helpless. Almost like what happened _before_ ….”

“I’m sorry, Armie. I won’t ever do it again unless it’s to save your life, I promise,” Techie mumbled, hugging Hux yet again. However, Hux was used to living with a very touchy feely Omega brother, so he took it in stride. Hux patted Techie’s back and caught Matt’s approving gaze above the Omega’s curtain of ginger hair.

Techie pulled away and wrinkled his nose, “And I’ll stop bringing up the SPCIS too if you want. I won’t say another word about them, ok? You can just forget about them and not worry about it.”

“Well that would be a shame, since while you were gone, I went ahead and called Phasma to let her know my decision.” Hux mock glowered. “Well I guess I could go ahead and call her back to let her know that I won’t be taking the job….”

Techie’s resulting squeal and light pillow bashing of his person was totally worth it. Kylo came back after drying off his hands with a blue kitchen towel, arching a brow. “So, I guess the secret is out, huh?”

“You knew?” Techie accused, suddenly hitting Kylo gently with his pillow.

“Overheard more like,” Hux hummed with a smirk, feeling no reason to hide the truth. Kylo had been sitting in a different sofa but Hux had not been quiet when talking with Phasma. 

Matt rumbled softly, “When do you start?”

“Wednesday, I believe,” Hux stated. “I’ll have to go down there and fill out paperwork first, and do an orientation of a sorts before training starts on Monday.”

Matt nodded slowly. “Who will you be shadowing for the next month?”

“Phasma said that it’d probably be a good idea for me to shadow you first, but have defense/offense practice with Ren in the evenings when there isn’t a mission going on,” Hux advised, causing Techie to beam at Matt excitedly. 

Matt huffed out a soft sigh and shrugged. “Fine by me. You’ll want to make sure you have thicker gloves on though, since the work I deal with is mechanical. And I think we have a couple of pretty good sets of utility clothes that you can wear for now until your official uniforms come in.”

“Duly noted. I can always put thicker gloves over these ones while I wait for a utility pair to come in shipment,” Hux agreed. Phasma had said something about an official uniform, but hadn’t said what they would look like. Matt saved him from asking when he stood and pulled off his long sleeved beat up red shirt to show a black skin tight one piece that almost looked like a sweat-suit with a strange red hexagon shaped insignia on the right breast pocket with a starburst in the middle of it. The uniform was of thin material but Hux could tell that it was very tough and heavily padded. “Are those thermodynamic sweat-suits?”

“Not quite. Poe has them custom made so I am sure when you go in on Wednesday, he’ll want to get your measurements for a few of these. We all wear them underneath our regular clothes just in case,” Matt said as Hux got up to take a closer look. “There are hidden pockets where we can hide weapons, keys, or even first aid kits if need be.”

Arching a brow once he got done examining Matt’s back and shoulders, Hux looked at both Techie and Kylo. “You both have them on too? Does that mean the sleeves and leggings can be extended or reduced?”

“Yep,” Techie said with a snicker. He pulled up one of his cargo shorts leg and bared the tops of his black uniform. The legs were just up over the knees. “Poe even has them designed to form into bathing suits if we need them.”

Hux looked over at Kylo who let out a soft huff in amusement before the smug bastard up and proceeded to pull off his too tight sleeveless shirt, muscles cording and rippling under his skin. Hux flushed a bit and swallowed, knowing all too well now just how soft that skin was. Kylo’s uniform was in the form of a one piece as well, but sleeveless, and dipped low over his clavicles. 

Tearing his gaze from the tantalizing view, Hux asked Matt, his voice miraculously steady, “What sort of fabric is it? It looks almost like leather, latex or at least a form of it. Can it be made of hypoallergenic cotton like my gloves? So far they have not caused my abilities to go haywire.”

“You would have to ask Poe, but I think this material is pretty safe. It deters against all sorts of bad things, not just weather, dirt, and sweat,” Matt answered, rubbing the back of his head in thought. 

“Very well then, I will have to contend with that for now, thank you,” Hux murmured, turning his gaze back to Kylo quickly before he gestured. “You want a round in my car still?”

“Fuck yes.” Kylo’s eyes lit up like an excited puppy’s and Hux wondered if he was going to regret this. 

“Oh boy, I hope Kylo doesn’t get all emo because Hux’s car is a stick usually,” Hux heard Techie mumble to Matt, of which the Alpha grunted in agreement.

“You don’t like stick?” Hux arched a brow in shock as he lead the way down the stairs, careful to keep his footing. 

“Never been taught,” Kylo admitted sheepishly once they got to the door to the garage, reaching down to pull on his black flip flops again. 

Hux’s eyebrows shot up at that, “Oh dear.” Grunting as he put on his almost brand new black vans, Hux straightened and huffed out a soft sigh. Kylo was avoiding his gaze and the act was almost as adorable as it was sad. “Well, I am sure it won’t be too hard for you to learn. Just not tonight and not in my car. Luckily for the both of us, my car has the option for both stick and automatic. You can use the automatic function.”

Kylo breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded. “Understood.”

### 

Kylo was in love with Hux’s car. That was all there was to it. And the man hadn’t even driven that far in it yet. They were currently driving through several stop lights at breakneck speed, and Hux didn’t even want to think about how many had been red or yellow. As it were, they even passed a few traffic cameras that no doubt snapped pictures of his car’s gorgeous red front end and back end as Kylo passed them by. 

“I’d almost leave the two of you alone if not for the fact that this car is definitely mine, and you are breaking _several_ traffic laws! Will you _KRIFFING_ slow **DOWN** you _RECKLACE ASS_!” Hux ended his tirade with an Alpha growl in warning, his eyes flashing eerie electric blue. Feeling his baser self come way too close to the surface, Hux tried to calm himself down.

Kylo’s eyes flared an eerie red in response, but he slowed down, grinning like a lunatic. “Calm down, _Armie_. Techie has our back,” Kylo said over the hum of the engine. He swerved and nearly wiped out two cars in the process.

“That may very well be, but there are still policemen that patrol this area! Stop this at once or I will not let you drive her again! And don’t call me _ARMIE!_ That right is reserved ONLY for Techie!” Hux snarled and then yelped when Kylo suddenly slammed on the brakes in the middle of an intersection. Honks started up behind them and Kylo gave Hux a mock innocent look.

“What? You told me to stop, so I did? See, I can _obey_ when I want to.” Kylo let out a grunt as Hux reached out and punched him on the arm so hard his bones ached. 

Fingers bruised, ego crushed, and fear washing over him, Hux all but roared, fangs making an appearance for the first time in ages, “THAT’S _IT_! Take me back HOME - obeying EVERY TRAFFIC LAW and DO _NOT,_ I repeat - DO _NOT_ SAY ANOTHER useless WORD or I WILL kick your pathetic ASS so hard you’ll be sent to Pluto! And _IF_ I so much as get a kriffing **BILL** for ANY laws you have broken you _WILL_ pay EACH and EVERY one of THEM!”

By the time Hux finished hollering, his throat was hoarse, his gums were bleeding due to his descended fangs, his bruised hand was clenched to his seatbelt, and his other hand was firmly secured around the ‘oh shit’ handle near the passenger door of his car. He was so livid, that he almost missed the smug look turn into one of solem abashment and even a bit of hurt on Kylo’s face. Kylo huffed out a grunt, but said nothing as he started moving again, and headed the long way around Greenwood Village towards the safe house. The whole trip back was quiet and tense, and Hux was regretting trusting Kylo with this. His car might be a replaceable item, but it had been expensive and both Matt and Techie had worked hard on it to make it special. Hux was not about to let one immature wildman wreck it just because he wanted to have a bit of fun.

Once Kylo stopped the car in the garage, Hux was out of it before the other man even had a chance to apologize. Still, the man was eager to haunt his steps, following him quicker than any man that size and shape should. Wanting to be anywhere, other than where Ren was, Hux concentrated without thinking of the consequences. Popping away from Kylo and ending up in his bedroom had Hux breathe out a sigh of relief before he nearly collapsed for the second time that day. Shakily closing his door and locking it, Hux went into the bathroom and carefully peeled off the glove to his injured hand. 

Running it under cool water helped the swelling a bit, but he would need to have an ice pack soon. He couldn’t believe Ren had had the audacity do be so reckless out there. Granted, Kylo had tended to behave a bit amateurly but Hux figured that the man had at least a little bit of common sense. But apparently when it came to driving the other Alpha let all that run out the window. He could have hurt them both or worse - hurt other people just because Ren wanted to show off. 

Hux paused a bit and raised his head to eye himself in the mirror. Was that all it had been? Had Ren wanted to impress him? The ginger growled lowly and shook his head to clear that preposterous notion. Letting out a soft sigh, Hux felt Millie come and rub up against his ankles. She must have been hiding up here for her evening nap. 

Reaching down with his still gloved hand, Hux ran his fingers along her head and ears, earning a soft purr and mewl. Feeling some of his ire and tension melt, Hux again looked at himself in the mirror. His gums had ceased to bleed but the damage had been done. 

What would Ren think of him now, allowing his baser self to come out into the open? 

The show of fangs in Alphas was not uncommon, though usually they were used for mating and breeding purposes only. Claiming and the like, not for posturing or when one lost their temper. Though Alpha humans were indeed humans, the term was fondly called ‘wolfing out’ or even ‘beasting out’, and Hux hadn’t had this happen to him in years. Not since he’d been in jail, where that was the only way to keep the other inmates away from his person when nothing else worked. 

And after nearly thirteen years, Ren had managed to bring it out of him in a matter of minutes. What was it about the other Alpha that brought out the absolute worst in him?

Letting out a soft sigh, Hux splashed some of the cold water onto his face, wishing yet again that this all was one big nightmare that he’d be able to wake up from. He was tired, so very tired, bruised, and mentally at the edge. Hux wasn’t sure if he could take one more thing. After drying his face off with a soft towel with his gloved hand, Hux let his other hand air dry, not wanting to risk another episode with how raw he still felt. 

His fangs would eventually retract on their own, and the soreness in his gums would go away soon after. He would just have to wait it out and try to calm down. Absently, he noted that Techie had left a big bottle of arnica salve next to his sink while he had been out. Bless him. It might not be as effective as ice on his injured hand, but there was no way in hell’s outhouse that he was going downstairs to face Ren in his state of mind. 

Taking off his shirt one handed was a hassle, but done with care, and once most of his bruises that he could attend to were medicated, Hux put back on his other glove and flopped unceremoniously into bed. Though he knew it was fruitless to hope for a dreamless night, Hux still allowed himself to drift. Sleep followed soon after, though as always, his demons would not let him rest for long.

### 

A soft knock on the door woke Hux not long after. Squinting his eyes in the dark at his ancient alarm clock, Hux sighed, noting that it was around ten pm. Only two hours had passed. Was this kriffing endless day ever going to end and let him start fresh in a new day? Apparently not. 

“Memter,” Hux mumbled with a snort, not being able to have the strength to actually get up. He hoped to whatever deity that it was Techie coming in to let him know Ren had left. 

He was correct on one account. 

Hux rubbed his eyes and flopped over onto his back, taking in the silhouette of his brother as the long haired ginger came inside, turning on the overhead lights. Without a word, the Omega came over and flopped onto the bed next to him, looking at him carefully before turning to look at the brilliant blue and red nebula painting right above the wooden headboard. 

For a long few minutes the both of them enjoyed companionable silence before finally Techie said softly, “Armie, Kylo’s sorry.”

“Why didn’t he come up here to tell me that himself?” Hux grumbled, though he figured he already knew the answer.

Techie rolled his eyes and muttered, “Well if _SOMEONE_ hadn’t turned off their goddamn phone or put it on silent, then they’d probably have known that he had sent a bunch of texts and tried calling at least five times. Despite what you might think about him, he does know bubbles and boundaries when it comes to people’s safe havens. Your room is your domain, and he’d only enter it if he knew it was ok to. Besides, Kylo knew you were pretty pissed off at him, so he wanted to let you cool off a bit first before apologizing. He only started texting and calling half an hour ago.”

Hux had the grace to feel a bit sheepish, but then he shrugged. “My current phone is in fact, operational and on vibrate. However, it is in my jacket pocket. I must have not taken it out of there when I came up here. However, I am still irritated. That man will never, _ever_ drive my car again. And if he ever steps foot in it, he’s going to be securely duct taped to where he can’t touch anything or speak a word about anything.” Rubbing the bridge of his nose with one gloved hand, he caught Techie’s eye and both of them started snorting at what he’d just said.

“I don’t know if you would actually want to do that, Armie, unless you wanted to get kinky with him. Kylo tends to like being tied up way too much.” Techie waggled his eyebrows.

Hux suddenly propped himself up on his elbows so he could look at Techie better. Hux arched a brow and murmured, “He does, does he?”

“Don’t tell him I told you that. Kylo can get a bit growly when his secrets are bared without his permission.” Techie scrunched up his nose cutely and then nudged Hux on the shoulder. “You wanna come down and end his torment or do you want to stay up here and sulk some more and make him suffer?”

Hux let out a deep sigh and shrugged. “I guess I am not still pissed off at him. However, I won’t let him know it yet, and you’d best not either. Let’s milk his apologies for it’s worth.” 

Techie cackled a bit evilly, and flopped off of the mattress with a woosh. “Fine by me, Armie. Just don’t be too hard on him. You still have to work with him, you know.”

“Fair point, Techie,” Hux conceded before he finally imitated a slug in trying to get out of his soft king sized bed. Sometimes he wondered if he’d ever slept in something less comfortable.


	4. Welcome to your first day in Hell, or is it the SPCIS?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux has a really long, but eventful first day at the SPCIS. Did I mention slow burn?

### Chapter 4: Welcome to your first day in Hell, or is it the SPCIS?

“Welcome to the Devil’s abode, or is it Hell’s outhouse?” Matt rumbled the next week, giving Hux a much more extensive tour. He’d carpooled with both Techie and Matt, figuring that all three of them had similar hours where they functioned the best. Plus, Hux would be shadowing half his time with Matt, so it made more sense to stick with his schedule, at least for the first few days until he got a firmer alternative from Phasma. “There’s a total of twenty five offices, though most are mock booby trap offices - so whatever you do, don’t go into the ones I don’t show you. Otherwise you might have a nasty surprise and end up dead or worse. And I swear, Techie would kill me if he has to reset the security system again for a non threat, so please try to stick with the places I show you.”

“Duly noted.” Hux certainly didn’t want to piss off his brother again. He’d had enough of a series of bad crap happen to him the past two weeks to last him a whole year. 

Despite having orientation, most of his paperwork filled out, being shown his new office, and having Poe get his measurements the prior Wednesday, this particular Monday morning when they had arrived at seven a.m. sharp, Phasma had greeted Hux at the door with a smile too shark like for his piece of mind. She then had proceeded to hand him yet another huge stack of paperwork to fill out and read and then had left him in a room to work on that for four hours straight. Hux’s brain almost fractured and oozed out of his ear after all of the waivers and legal documents were done. Half of the documents hadn’t even pertained to him. But, he understood the need for that sort of thing. Regardless, if he was going to eventually take over everything legal, and illegal in their company, then he was going to relish making sure half of this crap disappeared. 

He had lunch with Techie and Matt at eleven in the main mess hall after he’d dropped every blasted piece of paper off on Phasma’s desk, and now it was just past twelve. Techie had gone back into his server room lair, and Matt had had Hux tug on a set of utility clothing that was mammoth in size but was adjustable. After donning the garb, Hux had followed Matt around, carefully taking notes in a thick notebook. He wouldn’t be able to take the notebook home for security reasons. But, he would be able to come and study it and use ample book resources in the facility’s records library at any hour of the day or night. He would also get paid every time he decided to do utilize the feature. 

Apparently donations were high with this company. It also helped that the founder and leading fund contributor of the SPCIS, one Benjamin Solo was filthy rich and knew how to invest his money. Hux wondered if this man was a relative to his former boss, but that curious thought was pushed into the back of his mind as he focused on what Matt was telling him. “So, yea, over there is where the main access to the dungeon is. We’ll go down there maybe tomorrow so you can see just what we have down there, but for now, let’s move on to the rec apartments, center, etc. Then once we get done with the full tour, we can get started on something fun.”

“Fun?”

“Oh yea. We get to take apart a tank. A recently acquired M1 Abrams, courtesy of the US military. And then we rebuild it and enhance it. Yay.” Though Matt’s voice was deadpan, he did smirk, letting Hux know that the blonde was indeed excited about the upcoming project. “Might take us a week, but we’ll see. It’ll all depend on if we get called in for a mission this week or not.”

“Do you often get missions on the fly?”

“Yea _WE_ do. Hux, you might be a proby, but you are still one of us now.”

“Well, how many missions do WE usually get per month, then?” Hux arched a brow, jotting down a few things in his notebook.

Matt thought for a minute before he shrugged. “About five or six, depending on how fast we get them handled. If it’s a difficult bust, then sometimes we might only get one or two missions. We never take on more than two missions at a time. More than two would be too much for us to handle. That’s why we were thinkin’ of having a new person to help lighten some of the load off of our shoulders.”

“Well, despite the circumstances, I am glad I can help,” Hux said truthfully.

“It’s definitely needed.” Matt grunted and went down a long hallway, Hux trailing after him with ease. 

Matt showed Hux the rec apartments and nice sized gym. They met Kylo, who was coming out of one of the locker rooms, him still towel drying off his dark, wavy hair. Hux swallowed and wondered not for the first time if the man wore anything else other than casual black yoga pants and sleeveless muscle shirts. Kylo gave him a professional nod, probably still wary from the prior Monday despite all being mostly forgiven. Hux sighed softly, offering a smirk and an uncharacteristically casual thumbs up to ease the tension. The act froze Kylo long enough for both Matt and Hux to pass him before he let out an amused chuckle and continued on his way.

Matt snickered a bit and eyed Hux knowingly for one long moment before the ginger Alpha muttered, “Oh shut up.”

“Wasn’t sayin’ anything, unless I have a ghost attached to me again and I don’t know it,” Matt deadpanned.

“Well I don’t know anything about ghosts haunting you, but your actions always speak louder than words,” Hux pointed out, causing the other Alpha to roll his eyes.

“Yea about that -” Matt was caught off suddenly when a small buzz went off at his hip. “Ah shit,” Matt cursed once looking at his phone. He met Hux’s curious gaze and explained, “Looks like we just got a mission. We are all wanted in the conference room ASAP.”

“So I guess the tank will have to wait?” Hux asked, turning the corner and quickening his steps to keep up with Matt as the blonde Alpha hastened towards the large circular room not far from the main exit elevator towards the back of the underground facility. 

“Probably. Just hope it doesn’t wait too long. I was really looking forward to opening that beast up,” Matt stated with a sound of forlorn disappointment in his voice. Knowing the other Alpha quite well, Hux offered to reach over and pat the blonde bigger man on the shoulder in sympathy.

“You and your tanks. I’d be jealous if it weren’t for the fact that I am the same way with computers in general,” Techie chimed in as he joined them. The three went inside but not before both Matt and Hux got honorary hugs from the sassy Omega.

Taking a seat next to Kylo and Poe who were already inside, Hux carefully flipped his notebook to a few new pages, wanting to keep everything separate. Kylo watched him for a long minute before he shrugged and leaned back in his office chair. Once Phasma came in, carrying some pamphlets, the dark haired Alpha straightened. Hux shook himself out of paying more attention than he should at Kylo and looked at Phasma, who handed them all the pamphlets before taking a seat at the circular table next to Poe. 

“All right, before we cut to the chase, I want to first congratulate Hux on surviving most of his first day with us and getting through all of his paperwork.” Phasma smiled when everyone clapped and cheered, making Hux want to either hide under the table or preen under the attention.

Once the commotion died down, Phasma nodded a bit and continued, “As it is his first day, and his shadow buddy is Matt, he will be sticking with him on this mission unless we have to resort to different measures. This particular mission we have been given is of course, as always, top secret. So no blabbing to your friends, relatives, or anyone else outside of this room. Secure lines are to be used at all times, and all safety protocol should be enforced. Matt, I leave it to you to expand on those protocols to Hux once we are mobile.”

Matt nodded in understanding, briefly looking at the pamphlet on the first page. Poe let out a deep rumble in annoyance at his own pamphlet, complaining, “Ah shit, another poltergeist?”

“Our client, of course, is unsure. There has been no record of possession, but that doesn’t mean that it might not be a demon or different kind of vengeful spirit. So be on your lookout and use your salt and mountain ash mixture at all times,” Phasma explained. “Matt, you haven’t shown Hux the dungeon yet?” At Matt’s shake of the head, she added, “Very well. Kylo, I suggest you get Hux’s enhanced weaponry for today, and he can borrow one of Techie’s body suits since he is around the same height and build.”

“Will do,” Kylo commented, taking a moment to look over at Hux assessingly. Techie reached over and squeezed his brother’s gloved hand with a bright, if nervous smile.

Hux flushed a bit and concentrated on reading a bit more on the first page. “Hux, you should have your new uniforms in a few days,” Poe offered, his prior annoyance in having to deal with a poltergeist absent from his voice.

“Good to know, thank you,” Hux said softly. Pulling his eyes off of the pamphlet, he caught Phasma’s shrewd gaze. 

“You’ll be shadowing Matt of course, but first days are first days. We won’t be having you do much unless absolutely necessary, but I assure you, you won’t be bored. Follow directions and don’t get yourself killed,” Phasma advised, before she started explaining the situation, albeit briefly. 

“All of the information I am about to reveal is in your pamphlets, so I will keep this brief.” She took up a remote and turned on a few slides on the flat-screen tv in front of the room. The first picture was of a creepy looking run down two story house off of Colfax, not far from the red light district of Denver. Hux didn’t recognize the street, though he did know of the area. The second picture was of the backside of the house showing numerous hovering objects near the back door. The pictures were a bit grainy, but clear enough Hux could see that no apparatus with barely visible strings were holding the objects. The hair on the back of his neck rose alarmingly as he looked at that house.

“Our client wishes to remain anon, and lives in the house next to this one. She has seen some pretty spooky stuff coming from that supposedly abandoned house ever since she moved in a few months prior to when these photos were taken. Hearing about us through another one of our clients, Miss Anon decided to give us a try after the initial denial that ‘the supernatural is real’ wore off. Apparently the entity - or entities, have thrown rocks at her car at dusk while trying to get into her garage. The last straw was when she was upstairs looking out the window adjacent to the ‘haunted house’ and the window nearly got shattered from another projectile. The next morning she found it to be an old doll.” Phasma clicked to another picture, which showed said doll laying on the shingles near the second floor window. 

Kylo grunted and asked, “Can I read the official client take down? Not that I don’t believe in the vetting process, but I just want to make sure that the photos weren’t photoshopped, etc.”

Hux arched a brow, in a way not surprised that the SPCIS might get a bunch of wackos giving bogus information just for publicity reasons. It made Hux wonder just how many false alarms the group had to deal with each week. 

“I can give you something better. Here she is off camera, but on a willingly recorded video clip,” Phasma smirked and clicked to the video footage. 

The woman’s voice on the clip was intentionally distorted, but Hux could tell that she was young, perhaps in her early to mid twenties. She sounded a bit panicked, but not enough to warrant too much alarm. One thing that felt odd was that she didn’t seem scared. If anything, she sounded a bit excited. There was also something about the way she talked that made Hux feel like he knew her from somewhere, but before he could think on it, the video cut off.

“What do you think?” Poe asked Kylo, rubbing his chin a bit.

“She’s truthful and yet….” Kylo trailed off, looking a bit puzzled.

“She seems a bit too perky to be truly distressed,” Hux piped up, causing Phasma to smirk slightly.

Kylo nodded and murmured, “Yea. Exactly that.”

Techie snorted and wrinkled his nose, “Well if it’s another one of those amateur alien hunters from Oregon and Washington, then more power to them. As long as they stay away from the vehicles - because their gadgets always interfere with ours, then I don’t care.”

“Oh my god, I seriously don’t want to have to deal with another amateur coo-coo clock running around thinking they can help us out!” Poe whined, but cut himself off when Techie nearly threw a pen at him irritably. “Sorry Techie. No offense intended. You are my kind of geek. _Them_ , not so much.”

Techie scowled another few seconds but then relaxed when Matt reached over and took his hand comfortingly. “Did they just run the tape through you or was there further vetting?” Matt asked Phasma.

“Just me. And yes, she was a bit over-ambitious, but I think she knows to stay away from us while we do our thing. My main concern is keeping her from filming everything. So, I suggest we go to work while she is at work. Better to have it all done and over with while she is unaware. We can run by there and case the joint tonight but otherwise, we wait until she leaves in the morning for work to move in. Are we all in agreement?” Phasma asked.

When she received verbal ‘okays’ and nods from every member at the meeting, the Alpha dismissed them with a wave of her hand. “Matt and Techie, you can take Hux along for reconnaissance tonight after you finish getting equipped and changed so he can see how it’s done our way versus the FBI’s way. Do not engage unless necessary. No exceptions. Everyone else, we meet up with them tomorrow morning at seven o’clock sharp. You are all dismissed.”

### 

Hux was in the middle of changing into a borrowed set of Techie’s uniform in the men’s locker room, when he nearly gave a scandalized shout in surprise as Kylo barged in on him, carrying a huge bundle of weaponry slung over his shoulder. The ginger would have used one of the shower stalls, but he had more room in the open area near the lockers to maneuver. Blushing, and heart beating wildly, Hux took a few deep breaths as he locked gazes with Kylo.

Kylo blinked and coughed a bit, taking a quick glance down before he flushed a pretty shade of pink and coughed again. “Didn’t mean to scare you, just um… well um…. Yea, ok, _awkward._ I’ll let you get back to changing. I can give you the weapons after you finish. After you _FINISH_ **changing**.” Kylo flushed even brighter before he about-faced and left the locker room in mortification.

Hux swallowed thickly and looked down at the uniform he was only half way in and shivered. At least Kylo hadn’t come into the locker room five seconds before hand. Otherwise he’d seen Hux’s bare arse. Still, his crotch was embarrassingly half hard. Breathing out a few deep breaths, Hux calmed enough to zip the suit up completely. He supposed the both of them would have to get used to seeing each other in various stages of undress. Biting his lip as heat flooded into his already noticeable bulging crotch, Hux fought to think of other things than what Kylo would look like naked.

After splashing his face with cold water a few times and almost dowsing his whole groin area with it, Hux figured he was finally flaccid enough to put on his over clothes. He did have one positive thing to say about the borrowed uniform. Though it clung everywhere, it also expanded everywhere. It moved like a second skin, and Hux liked it. His gloves looked a bit bulky underneath the sleeves, but he figured once he got his own sets of customized uniforms, he wouldn’t need to worry about that anymore. The material of the suits so far hadn’t set his psychometry, so Hux was very much looking forward to getting the specialized new gloves and socks that went along with his uniform. 

Once his over clothes were put on, along with his comfortable all weather thin lined black jacket and matching set of thigh high durable boots, Hux packed his Smith & Wesson M&P .40 S&W pistol and headed out the door, feeling much calmer than he had just a few minutes before. Kylo was waiting for him once he stepped foot into the hallway, looking a bit less flustered, though still noticeably flushed. 

Coughing a bit, Hux offered to clear the air by asking, “So, what kind of weaponry do you wish me to pack on? I have my gun, but I doubt it would do any good against the supernatural.”

Kylo let out a slow breath, looking much relieved. He took the pack off of his shoulder and opened it up as the both of them started in the direction of the server room. Hux was to meet back up with Techie and Matt so they could head out to the Impala. The car was incognito enough to look unsuspecting and since Matt had installed tinted windows, it would be very hard for passing by people to look inside to see if it was occupied. 

Kylo tugged out a sturdy looking case and handed it to Hux, who almost dropped it when he found out just how heavy it was. “Careful, Hux. Those bullets in there are comprised of salt and mountain ash blanks - which are a bitch to clean up if they prematurely explode. Pretty heavy, but useful. They are heavier than normal bullets so make sure you don’t use those with your pistol unless you’ve trained with me first.”

“Duly noted,” Hux murmured, biting back a snarky response. He looked over the case curiously. It was small enough to put in a side pocket, but when he went to do so, Kylo shook his head and stopped him.

“Let me do that for you this time. That way you’ll know which pocket holds what. You can always modify the arrangement of items to your satisfaction, but most of us tend to lean a certain way.” Once they got to the server room, Kylo put down his pack and motioned for Hux to take off his coat.

Hux felt like rolling his eyes, but did as he was told, placing the coat on a small chair near Techie’s door. At least the Alpha hadn’t told him to take off his outer clothing - just his jacket. Just as Kylo was about ready to help him get equipped, Techie opened the door and nearly ran over his brother.

“Armie, what are you - oh…. Getting your first lesson in pockets hmmm?” Techie snickered and moved around him to stand and watch, Matt close behind. 

“You got the same treatment, I take it?” Hux asked, watching Kylo bend over to take out various items from the pack and place them on the ground beside it. Getting a bit distracted by how Kylo’s black yoga pants cradled his nicely proportioned ass, Hux blinked a few times and tried to pay attention to the weapons and ammunition on the ground.

“Yep, all of us do. Kylo knows his weapons, for sure,” Techie said, reaching down to thread his fingers through Matt’s. 

_That’s reassuring at least,_ Hux thought once Kylo finally straightened and started telling him where certain things went. “So, you’ll probably want to keep the bullets accessible at all times, so since you are ambidextrous, you can pick an abdomen pocket that you’ll be able to get into quick. Zipper pockets can hold gun cleanser, polishing clothes, and backup beacons. Since you are still a proby, you won’t be chipped until you pass all your tests. Until then, keep one beacon in your sock, and one in the lining at the nape of your neck, like so.”

Hux flushed slightly and tried to concentrate on something other than just how good the other Alpha’s scent was as Kylo pushed down the outer layer clothing so he could put the small chip in a tiny slit on his uniform. The act caused Kylo to nearly be chest to chest with Hux and it was doing all sorts of things to the ginger’s libido, and then some. Once Kylo was finished getting Hux set with the nape beacon, he handed Hux the other to put in one of his socks. “These guys are durable, so if it would be easier to put them under the arch of your foot, go right ahead, it just might feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“Yea, I tried that once and nearly blew my cover wanting to rip off my boot and adjust it every time I stepped down. Felt like one big boulder under there jabbing my foot. But, not everyone’s foot is as sensitive as mine,” Matt rumbled helpfully, and Hux nodded in understanding.

Placing the item on the inner lining of his sock but not against his skin, Hux breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely didn’t want to be that uncomfortable. Plus, Hux still wasn’t sure if beacons would set off his psychometry or not. Best to play it safe, in his opinion. After a bit of deliberation, Hux put the ammo case and other supplies in certain pockets as Kylo had suggested.

The next items were knives and a very small set of handguns. “Hux since you are lithe and have some physical defense history with knives and guns, you take these. These guns pack a punch like your pistol, but are made specifically to handle the salt and ash bullets. They are small enough you can put them basically anywhere, though I advise to not have them at your back. Best place would probably be in the pockets below your hips on the sides.”

“Shooting them and loading them are basically the same principle as my own gun?” Hux asked, intrigued.

“Yes, though since they don’t carry much bullets in the semi-automatic cartridge, make sure you make each bullet count,” Kylo explained. He then handed Hux some knives that looked to be made out of a strange looking metal. “These blades are made out of a silver and steel alloy - pretty potent against vampires and werefolk. However, they can also be useful for demons if you line them with this saline solution. Each knife is made to hone to your body’s shape. These two go on the back of your calf muscles.”

Once Hux got himself equipped with the knives and guns, Kylo gave him another two knives to pack at the outer sides of his hamstrings, and yet another two at his biceps. Then at his back Kylo helped him pack a few flamethrowers and an emergency kit. When all was said and done, Hux felt like he was the safest he’d ever been, and also the most in danger. “You sure all of this isn’t a tad extreme? What if the flares malfunction and get caught in the alcohol wipes?”

“They won’t. I promise. Poe might have designed the suits himself, but I gave him the specs for the weapons. I know my shit,” Kylo stated with a sniff. “Plus, you will thank me once not one, but three hellhounds run you down with a demon hot on their tail.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to offend you, Ren, I just feel like a bomb waiting to blow up,” Hux admitted truthfully once he was able to finally get his coat on.

Techie snickered and mumbled, “Armie, you’ll get used to it, I promise.” Then he looked over at a still slightly out of joint Kylo and said, “I got leftover cookies in the server room. They’ll probably get stale by tomorrow, so feel free to eat them.”

Kylo brightened and reached over to embrace Techie a bit, saying happily, “Thank you Techie.”

“You’re welcome. Now let go of me so we can get moving. See ya tomorrow!” Techie stated primly, Matt and Hux watching as Kylo released the long haired Omega before going straight into the server room.

“Sometimes I wonder if he has a one track mind when it comes to cookies,” Hux mused dryly as they turned to leave.

Kylo popped his head out of the door and said, “I heard that Hux!”

“Well it’s true, Kylo, and you know it.” Matt said with a huff, causing his two ginger companions to snicker in mirth.

“That’s besides the point!” Kylo bit out in mock anger before he went back for the cookies.

### 

While in the back seat of the Impala, Hux was given the rundown on the differences between the FBI’s and SPCIS stake outs. He was also given information on safety protocols. There was a definite rule that not one person of the SPCIS was left behind regardless of the circumstances. Safety was also key, but not as enforced because each case was different. Each supernatural happenstance was different. One of the biggest things that the SPCIS was big on safety wise was that if you had to bend the rules in order to protect your team, that was ok - within reason. It was ok to shoot first and ask questions later if the target was a known hostile. When it came to the unknown, things were a bit different. 

Regardless of the unknown, one had to check in with their teammates as often as possible if they were enacting a move in type of situation. Granted, radio silence was a given on certain missions, but otherwise, team members had to send mass texts or calls to the others. Phasma might be the stand in team leader, but she might not be in the area at the time a call or text came in, so it was best to tell the group as a whole. As for surveillance, Techie, Hux, and Matt only had to check in once every four to five hours if it was overnight, three to four if during the day.

Hux wasn’t used to the continuous check ins, though he understood the necessity for it. He also wasn’t used to the fact that rarely one person went off on their own in a mission. Everyone went on a mission regardless of their role, and no matter the circumstance when it came to the SPCIS. That meant everyone had backup. Since they were such a small organization it made sense that everyone would be mobile. So, even though the others weren’t present with them during the surveillance, they were still waiting or resting at home with their fitbits or phones next to them at all times, just in case. 

Apparently it was an all or nothing sort of deal. If the surveillance team spotted something that wasn’t the norm, they had to wait until the rest of the gang got there. The only way it would be different is if someone like Kylo or Phasma, the two most seasoned of the organization were on the scene and had to make a life or death decision. If it looked like the problem was going to be something that needed to be handled asap, then it was ok for them to go in and start handling while the backup team hauled ass to get there. Otherwise, everyone stayed put until all of them had arrived. 

That was going to be a bit frustrating for Hux, though he knew the reasons why it was imperative to not be a ‘hero’ and risk screwing up the entire mission. Hux would just have to make sure he became a seasoned SPCIS member so he could be in the position to suggest a mild shift in that rule, or be able to do things on his own. Otherwise, the SPCIS and FBI were similar when it came to surveillance or acting on missions. The only time they called other people to help in this sort of situation was if they absolutely had no way of handling the mess themselves. Then they called some organizations elsewhere in the near area that might not be as learned in the supernatural, but were at least aware and prepared to handle it.

They stopped at a Dunkin’ Donuts - 7 Eleven combo convenience store and station to get gas and carbs before heading over to the supposed haunted house. Hux narrowed his eyes when he spied Techie getting some sugary confection covered cream filled donuts with a large two liter bottle of mountain dew and sighed. “Who was telling who the other day what was and wasn’t healthy?”

“Oh shut up. Stake outs mean carb outs. I can’t stay up all night on nothing but a salad and water.” Techie wrinkled his nose and took up the donut package and drink from Matt’s strong fingers. 

Matt sat down in the driver’s seat and handed Hux a roast beef sandwich on Rye with extra pickles. Hux gladly took it up along with it’s companion bag of barbecue potato chips and cream soda fountain drink. Matt himself had purchased a burger, fries, and gatorade. How the Alpha had managed to carry all that from the convenience store to the car was a mystery, but Hux shrugged it off, knowing quite well that Matt didn’t have telekinetic powers. 

“Don’t you guys take turns sleeping or at least resting while the other watches?” Hux asked, curious. He peeled back the wrapper on his sandwich, feeling his stomach rumble.

Techie took a huge bite out of a donut, managing to get powdered sugar all over his mouth and cheeks and mumbled after a swallow, “Usually that’s how it happens. But, Hux, this is your first mission! I can’t fall asleep and risk missing something important.”

Hux felt his heart swell just a bit at that, but then concentrated on eating, further conversation silenced. Matt drove in the quiet, letting the others eat, but he did reach over and snag a fry or two from the bag in Techie’s lap. Once they got to the street where the haunted house was, Matt slowed down, turned off his lights and parked not far away. Hux could see the house outside his window to the right and Techie took out the biggest set of binoculars he’d ever seen in his life. 

Donut powdered sugar fingers aside, Techie flipped a switch on the right side of the surveillance binoculars and grinned. “You’ll love these, Armie. They are infrared capable and also pick up on ley lines.”

 _Whatever ‘ley lines’ means_ , Hux thought, but kept it to himself. Finishing up his sandwich and chips, Hux took a deep swig of his soda before he turned his attention to the house.

“The house on the left is the neighbor who sent in the cry for help?” Hux asked, narrowing his eyes as the dusk faded into full night. Stars barely peeked through the city light pollution, but Hux could still make out the big dipper. 

When Matt grunted in answer, Hux peered at the house on the left, making out the shape of the older building. It wasn’t as run down as the abandoned house, but from what Hux could see, the roof needed patching in a few places, the grey paint was chipped in places, and the yard looked like it needed to be weeded. All in all, the neighbors house looked like any normal lower middle class house in the surrounding area. Lights were out, though Hux could see a few lights coming from nightlights filtering through the curtains in the upstairs window. 

The other houses nearby looked similar, if not the same, though some had more effort on tidying their yards. Some kids were playing on bicycles across the street in a different cul de sac, but there was no traffic here. No kids played, no person was outside. It was eerily quiet. 

Almost too quiet for Hux’s taste. The Alpha felt the hair rise on the back of his neck as he looked back at the haunted house barely illuminated by a nearby street light. “This house definitely is on the high willie factor,” Techie whispered, narrowing his eyes through his binoculars.

“Yea, it’s giving me the chills too,” Hux agreed, taking another sip of his soda. 

The house itself, though run down and abandoned with boards nailed to the former windows, looked none the worse for wear. Grey paint was chipped and cracked in places, but the roof was intact, and even the original door looked stable, if a bit worn. One thing that chilled Hux to the bone however was the lack of vegetation anywhere near the house. The yard only had a few weeds growing near an old mailbox on one side of the paved driveway. Otherwise, the place was barren of any life. 

Matt wolfed down his food, though he was mostly quiet. Techie finally handed the binoculars over to Hux so he could have a turn. Peering through the enhanced lenses, for a long moment, Hux saw nothing untoward on the outside of the house. However, when he surveyed one of the upstairs boarded up windows, he could see a bit of light filtering through the edges of the boards. 

“Techie, top left window - is it supposed to look like that? I see light coming out of the sides of the boards, though it’s hard to tell with the binoculars, considering it’s night vision.” Hux handed the binoculars back to Techie, who had consumed another donut in the past few minutes.

Techie licked his fingers clean of the powdered sugar before he took up the binoculars and peered through the lenses. For a long minute nothing was said before Techie said softly, “Shit. Mattie, I think we got something bigger than a poltergeist. What do you think?” 

Matt cleaned his fingers with a napkin before taking the binoculars. Cursing softly as he looked at the window in question, Matt said, “Yea, looks more like demon aura. Might want to call the others.”

Hux chewed on his lower lip, intrigued as Techie took up his phone and sent a mass text. “Good eyes, Armie,” Techie flashed a small excited smile Hux’s way. The Alpha smirked slightly and forced himself to relax.

After a moment, Techie’s phone buzzed and he put it on speaker phone. “So whatcha got, Techie?” Poe’s voice filtered in. 

“Armie might have found demon aura coming from one of the upstairs windows - the one on the left. It doesn’t look like white poltergeist grains. It wasn’t red, but that doesn’t mean much if it’s a low level demon.”

“Good work. We’ll be there in a jiffy!” Poe said before he hung up. 

“Now we wait?” Hux asked softly.

“Now we wait.” Matt affirmed.

### 

It didn’t take the rest of the group long to arrive. Poe and Phasma arrived in a dark colored mock utility van and parked at the far end of the cul de sac. Kylo was the last to arrive, only he was on foot apparently. “Oh you big fluffy show off,” Phasma said playfully as both herself and Poe met at the Impala.

“Big, fluffy what?” Hux asked once he got out of the car. But then he noticed the big black wolf looking creature trotting down the pavement towards them like he owned it. “Oh.” 

In fact, Hux would have mistaken the lupine creature for a wolf if not for the fact that he had red glowing eyes, flames encasing his paws, and was much bigger and thinner than any normal wolf. Once the hellhound reached the group, he wined and rubbed up against Techie, who snorted and rubbed his ears. “Big puppy.” Techie said fondly.

“Ok, stop posturing big K and let’s get down to business,” Poe suggested, though he, too reached over to rub Kylo’s oversized black ears.

If a hellhound had the ability to pout, Hux knew that Kylo would have. Still, Kylo managed to do an eye roll as well as a resigned huff before he stood on his hind legs and shifted into a human. Hux did have the grace to feel both mildly disappointed and relieved at the same time when he spotted that the other Alpha had clothes on. Apparently that was another myth dispelled about shape-shifters - that they couldn’t shift with their clothes on. 

Now, however, instead of casual yoga pants and a sleeveless muscle shirt, Kylo was wearing similar to what Hux himself was wearing. Black jeans, black long sleeved shirt, and a light black jacket, with faded black sneakers. “Ok, so the plan is to infiltrate to gather only intel. If there is a demon in there we don’t want to piss it off. Kylo, since you are the best with dealing with anything to do with the underworld, you take the front while Poe and I will get around back. Techie, Matt, and Hux, you three stay near the van and watch the ley lines. If there is a hell mouth that opens, we want to know about it.”

“I know this is my first run, but wouldn’t it be better to have more than just the three of you take whatever it is up there on?” Hux asked, feeling a bit uneasy about this whole thing. 

“You got a gut feeling, too?” Techie asked, and when Hux nodded, the Omega told Phasma, “Armie gets gut feelings every once in a while too. Not as often as I do, so when he does get them, it’s a good idea to follow them.”

“Really?” Phasma arched a brow and sized Hux up with a curious look before she shrugged, “Ok. But, since this is your first run, Hux, I want you to stay behind Kylo at all times. You got it?”

“Absolutely,” Hux nodded, though inwardly he balked at the idea of teaming up with Kylo. 

Kylo seemed to be in his element however, showing not a shred of nervousness at all. In fact, the man seemed calmer than Hux had ever seen him be. Apparently Kylo, like the rest of them, took missions very seriously. Swallowing a bit and catching Kylo’s steely determined gaze, Hux let out a deep breath and asked, “If something happens, what must I do?”

“Observe, but don’t interact unless you have to. Make sure your salt and ash pistols are loaded,” Kylo said, his voice calm and a bit rough, the sound causing tingles to settle into Hux’s groin.

He didn’t want to think about just how much he liked Kylo’s voice distorted like that. 

Techie effectively glomped everyone before they set out. “What happens if our anon comes calling?” Hux murmured to Kylo as they neared the house.

“Matt and Techie will alert us if and when it happens, and then we will abort mission. If we are in the middle of it and can’t abort it, then after the mission is complete, a gag order will be put in place on the witness. In order to be vetted, they have to sign waivers stating they cannot speak to anyone except us about the supernatural. If we are to help them, they need to not cause a panic,” Kylo advised, reaching down to pull up a salt and ash gun of his own from his hip. Hux did the same, though he made sure to give Kylo room, should he need it. 

“Makes sense,” Hux whispered, before he fell silent, taking a quick glance behind him to spy Techie and Matt rushing to the van. Turning his gaze back in front of him, Hux noted that the upstairs left window was giving off a faint green glow. The dim light of the street light was hindering his vision a bit, but the hair still was raised on the back of his neck. 

Kylo took the lead, watching as Phasma and Poe raced around back, easily getting through large gaps in the side fences. Kylo waited for a moment before he advanced down the ragged looking paved driveway, Hux a few steps behind him. As they got closer to the porch and subsequent front door, Hux felt every hair on his body stand on end - or prickle, even under his borrowed uniform. Though he knew what the idiom meant when someone said that they had experienced a hair raising experience, Hux really hadn’t had one of those before. At least not in this big of a way.

He felt cold sweat trickle down his spine but his uniform at least helped keep it from being too uncomfortable. 

Once they got onto the porch, Kylo reached out with one hand and whispered softly, “Reveal to me the truth.”

Hux shivered as he saw a huge hole form in the doorway, showing a dark entity in the shape of a woman glowing dark green. “Truthseeker. I am stronger than you mere mortal!” She hissed, before she promptly reached out and grabbed Kylo by the shirt. Hux spotted it and reached out to grab one of Kylo’s arms before the both of them disappeared into the void.

 _So much for not pissing off a vengeful spirit or demon_ , Hux thought briefly before the world stopped spinning.

The creature laughed in a horribly high pitched tone before she released them both. Hux stumbled and felt hands reach out to steady him. Blinking in the darkness, Hux could barely make out Kylo’s profile. The both of them seemed to be stuck somewhere in the house. Hux reflexively reached out to touch the walls to find an exit, but Kylo’s hands took hold of his and stopped them.

“No, don’t!” Kylo hissed softly, and Hux was about to glower at the other Alpha when they both heard a thud from upstairs.

“Why not?” Hux finally whispered back once the noise stopped.

“Because the demon might have pulled us into the underworld - or parallel world. If we are in the parallel world, we need to make sure not to touch anything or move from this spot for at least seven minutes. Otherwise it will change things and we won’t be able to get back,” Kylo told him softly, peering at him in the dark.

“And if it’s the underworld?” Hux hesitated to ask, trying to pull his hands out of Kylo’s hold unsuccessfully.

Taking a deep breath, Hux almost let out a frustrated whine. Why did Kylo’s scent have to be so kriffingly mouthwatering? And why were they in such close quarters? If Hux were to guess, they were probably stuck in a closet of some sort. The soft whooshes of breath coming from Kylo, his face so near to Hux’s nearly drove him mad. Tension rose dramatically when Kylo answered a bit shakily, “If it’s the underworld, then we definitely can’t move until one of the others rescues us. Hell mouths can be opened by higher level demons, but it takes a long and difficult spell for a human to open one.”

“Well fuck,” Hux growled lowly, absently giving up the struggle, at least physically. “Can I have my hands back, please? I promise not to touch anything,” He groused verbally instead.

Kylo cursed and let go of his hands with a mumbled, “Sorry. And honestly? I would prefer fucking to this.”

“You and me both,” Hux huffed out, causing Kylo to snicker, despite the situation.

“You said seven minutes?” Hux asked after another few minutes passed in silence, his groin becoming painfully tightened due to being so close to the other Alpha. Kylo, it seemed, was having a bit of an issue of his own, for he kept on leaning towards him a bit before stiffening and leaning back. 

The effort not to touch Kylo was becoming a nuisance and almost unbearable. 

Hux could feel Kylo’s breath near his cheek now, and one false move and Hux swore that their lips would be touching. Kylo murmured, “Yea.”

“So, that means we’ve got what, two minutes left?”

“Not sure. The parallel world sometimes changes time.”

“So you are meaning to tell me we are essentially sitting ducks until we get rescued?”

“Pretty much, unless you want to teleport us out of here and back to the front of the house. So we can start over, kind of thing.”

“I have only successfully teleported myself elsewhere!”

“There’s got to be a first time for everything.”

“Not in this instance! Unless you want to possibly missing a limb by the end of it!”

“That would suck.”

“Yes, it would.”

There was silence for another moment before a sudden loud screech filled the air, causing Hux to jump nearly a foot. As it was, it caused Kylo to jump too and stumble. Hux ended up reaching out as he was tripped, and collapsed against Kylo. The other Alpha hit the wall behind him with a loud thud. Searing heat ran through Hux everywhere he was pressed up against Kylo. Shivering slightly, Hux tried to straighten himself, but another scream had him instinctively moving back into the protection of Kylo’s arms.

Kriff, Kylo was embracing him now? Or was the other Alpha trying to protect him? Either way it went, the idea nearly short circuited Hux’s brain, especially when Kylo finally whispered, “Don’t overthink it, Hux.”

“Easy for you to say! You aren’t using another person as a body pillow!”

“Yea, but having your hips digging into my _cock_ isn’t helping things either!”

“Karking Hell, _Ren!_ ” Hux hissed, trying to get his hips up and ended up making things worse.

“Just will you stop fucking **MOVING!** ” Kylo let out a low Alpha growl, causing Hux to feel his own problem getting bigger. 

“I need to get out of here.”

“Then go, no one is stopping you.”

“I won’t leave you behind.”

“How noble of you. However, like you said before, I don’t want to be missing a limb, so thanks anyways.”

“Then what do you suggest? I can’t wait here much longer.”

“I don’t like small, dark places either and fuck, you are burning up Hux!”

Hux felt himself flush hotly. “I overheat easily,” He explained, trying to keep his brain from going deeper into the gutter unsuccessfully. After another few minutes of silence, Hux absently noted that indeed, his left hip was flush against something really hard. If that was really Kylo’s dick, then Jesus, he was hung like a horse.

And that thought was definitely not helping his own problem at all.

“Hux, you smell like….” Kylo whispered, leaning a bit in to sniff at Hux’s hair. The act caused Hux to let out a soft whine in spite of himself.

Suddenly there was a loud thud to the left of them, and they were unceremoniously yanked through the wall. Stumbling, Hux nearly shouted as he fell hard on top of Kylo, who landed on the floor with a thud. Standing over them was none other than Matt, who was trying hard not to look amused. “Well look who got stuck in the wall. Glad I found you guys before the demon came back for lunch. Ok, now that hide and seek is over, we can get down to business. Yay.”

“Where are the others?” Hux asked, trying to get himself untangled from a dazed Kylo. 

Matt reached down and helped him up off of Kylo, snorting when the dark haired Alpha let out a small whine. “Looking for you. Looks like the demon has control of the neighbor’s house too now. That’s where we are now. Neighbor isn’t home, so we are lucky in that.”

### 

“Yea, I found them. Looks like the demon decided to put the boys in one of the bedroom walls over here. We’ll be over shortly,” Matt told Techie on his cell. “I just want to have a looksie around this place to make sure that the demon is alone and not working together with someone else.”

Kylo and Hux had recovered for the most part, though both kept stealing glances at one another when they thought no one was looking. Hux felt it was ridiculous, getting all worked up just because he got stuck in a kriffing wall with a coworker. Granted, the coworker was in fact, bloody attractive, but that was besides the point. He should be concentrating on the mission at hand, not feeling awkwardly embarrassed being around Ren. 

“Affirmative. Be safe you three! I am outside finishing up the ash and salt boundary. Be careful when you get out here - don’t want to disturb it,” Techie’s voice filtered through pointedly.

Coughing softly once Matt ended the call, Kylo asked, “Do you think that there are two demons working together?”

“No, I don’t. The demon had the element of surprise on us all, but I think that it’s still a low level one. I could be wrong, but I doubt it,” Matt explained before he shrugged and offered, “I just wanted to stall to give you both some time to get your heads back in the game. As this is Hux’s first night, he isn’t used to this kind of stuff happening on the fly. As for you, Kylo -”

“Yea, yea, you don’t have to say it,” Kylo grumbled, running his hand through his dust littered hair. “I should have been more careful.”

“Maybe, but I was rather referring to the fact you might want to calm down your scent before you stink up the whole neighborhood,” Matt teased, causing both Hux and Kylo to flush in embarrassment. “Hux might be good at disguising his scent glands unless you are up, close, and personal to him, but you Kylo, don’t have that ability at all. I was just trying to save you some embarrassment, that’s all. You know Phasma and Poe wouldn’t let you live this one down if they had found you both instead of me.”

“Not like I can help it! I was born with potent scent glands!” Kylo shot back, but then rolled his eyes and left the room in a huff. “My scent is fine now. Thanks. We can go,” The Alpha said over his shoulder.

Matt and Hux looked at each other for a long minute, before the ginger hissed, “Not one word. Not _ONE_ word.”

Matt let out a huff of laughter as he followed one very mortified Hux out of the room.

### 

Once Kylo, Matt, and Hux left the neighbor’s house, the abandoned house was taking on an eerie green glow. Apparently, Kylo dissolving the enchantment over that place had pissed the demon off. Hux couldn’t help but feel like he had seen that woman’s shape before, but it had been too much cast in shadow to fully tell features. Whoever the demon had possessed would have a rude awakening coming once the team was able to force the monster to go back to the underworld. 

In a way, he was rather appreciative of the distraction leading his thoughts away from what had happened earlier. Kylo was back to all business once they had stepped foot outside, and Matt had sobered his amusement back to all seriousness. 

Matt, Kylo, and Hux then met up with Techie, who was finishing up a thick line of ash and salt encircling both houses. The long haired ginger was too busy to give them all hugs, but each Alpha made sure to give him a reassuring brush of their hands on his shoulders as they got ready to head back into the main haunted house. 

“I am glad you both are ok. Phasma and Poe are inside, trying to corner the demon. It might be best if one or the three of you set up a salt circle pentagram so that when the time is right, the demon can be trapped inside of it and go through exorcism,” Techie suggested before he sneezed a few times, getting salt up his nose.

Hux offered, “Ren and I could go in if you want Matt to stay with you, Techie?”

“No, it’s ok. I am a big boy. Plus, though this demon is low level, it’s very devious. The others probably will need all the help they can get,” Techie said, patting his hands a bit, the salt and ash line complete now.

Matt pulled Techie to him for a quick kiss before heading to the abandoned house, Kylo and Hux in tow. “Aren’t all demons devious?” Kylo muttered under his breath.

Matt snorted in agreement, and Hux had to wonder just how many demons the SPCIS had encountered since its inception. “I doubt that the demon will try the door tactic again, but just to be on the safe side, shoot first, ask questions later. The blanks will only hurt a demon, not the host they are possessing,” Kylo advised as he and Matt drew their guns.

Hux nodded and drew one of his special guns, making sure the salt and ash bullets were loaded correctly. This time Matt took the lead with Hux in the middle and Kylo at his back. Though Matt could walk through walls, he had to be touching a person in order to transport them with him, so the only other option was to head around back or go through the front entrance again. Hux didn’t fancy climbing through a window but would do so if needed. 

Techie quickly headed back to the van so he could keep an eye on his enhanced computers and readings. Plus, though Techie had his own abilities, he still was the best when it came to anything digital. Melting metal and talking to computers were his specialties.

This time, when the group tried to enter the haunted house, they met with no resistance, which in of itself was a bit spooky. Hux licked his lips and quickly looked around for any sign of movement. The inside of the place was dark and smelled of old rot and decay. Feeling his nose twitch, Hux nearly gagged at the smell, but managed to hold it together. “Does it always smell this horrid?” Hux whispered quietly to Kylo.

Kylo nodded, “Demons usually possess living beings, but they are apt to do so with whatever they can find. So sometimes corpses are the best they have on hand. It’s kind of disgusting, but when dealing with a low level demon, you learn not to expect much. Higher ups on the food chain use highly successful young business people so they can keep hold of their host for far longer, and with the best resources.”

“That’s a bit shallow, but brilliant,” Hux admitted dryly before he grew silent.

All three of them split up and searched the entire bottom level of the place. Every once in a while Hux would hear a creek on the stairs leading up to the second floor, but otherwise everything was silent as the grave. Circling back around and meeting near the foot of the stairs, Hux was about to comment when a huge crash sounded above them. Hux barely had time to think before he was shoved not-so-gently out of the way of a body falling through the ceiling. He hit the wall with a thud, letting out a soft ‘oof’ and blinked a few times before he realized that Kylo had been the one to save him. How had he known something was going to fall through the ceiling?

Leaning in to breathe in Kylo’s scent, Hux tried hard to keep his brain off of just how many moles and freckles the other Alpha had scattered all over his face, and onto the actual fact that a corpse had just fallen through the kriffing ceiling! Kylo huffed out a soft breath and turned his gaze onto Hux. Their eyes locked for one long moment before Matt gave a soft cough, splitting the two apart as if burned. 

Kylo quickly looked over Hux as if to check and see if he was ok. Hux gave him a small nod in acknowledgement and that seemed to be enough for the other Alpha. Hux peared up through the now gaping hole in the ceiling, trying not to gag at the smell of the rotting corpse in front of him on the ground surrounded by debris.

“Oops,” Poe said with a small wave. “Sorry about that guys. Our demon bailed as soon as we cornered it. Guess it knew what was coming. Still, I don’t think it was strong enough for a bolt hole, so it might be trapped somewhere else in the house or in the neighbor’s place.”

“Well that sucks. Phasma up there with you?” Matt rumbled, taking a moment to wipe his glasses clean.

“Yea, over here. You losers got stuck in a fucking wall?” Phasma teased as she started heading down the stairs towards them.

“Not the best experience, but I’ve had way worse,” Hux offered, causing Kylo to arch a brow in interest. 

“Yes, well I guess there can be worse things than being stuck with a hellhound,” Phasma waggled her eyebrows.

Kylo ignored the jab and asked softly, “So where do you want to look next? Basement maybe?”

“Well if it discarded its meat suit, might be better just to go ahead and create a large binding pentagram and just exorcise both buildings,” Matt suggested, scowling a bit at the rotting corpse nearby.

Once Poe joined them, Hux noticed something odd. Before he could comment on it, Kylo noticed it, too. “Hey man, what happened to your arm?”

Poe looked down at his arm, and then shrugged, “Tis’ just a flesh wound.”

“Bro, your arm is literally broken!” Matt exclaimed.

Without thinking of the consequences, Hux aimed and fired his gun without even batting an eyelash. The salt and mountain ash bullet hit Poe square between the eyes, and a huge screaming roar filled the air, breaking out what windows hadn’t been shattered already. There was a nasty gargling hiss when Phasma up and electrocuted the smokey entity coming out of Poe’s mouth. The demon fell to the ground encased in a large solid pool of clear uncut stone.

“Fuck.” Hux breathed, looking at the strange looking being on the ground. It had not much of a form besides a warped face of eternal screaming. “Is this uncut diamond?”

“I work as a part time jeweler, if you must know,” Phasma said with a small smirk. 

Poe shook himself and promptly passed out. Matt managed to catch him before he hit the floor. “Do you think he’ll be ok?” Kylo asked, not liking the look of the other Alpha’s arm. 

Phasma headed over to inspect the damage and nodded. “We need to get him back to headquarters.”

“Why not a hospital?” Hux asked, trying to process all of this.

“Poe would rather go to Hell than go to a hospital despite the fact that he works part time at one. Plus, most of us know how to patch each other up to the best of our abilities. You wouldn’t happen to know of a good healer, would you?” Phasma asked with a small hopeful look. "The one we normally use is still on vacation until tomorrow."

When Hux shook his head no, Phasma nodded. “Thought not.”

“What about our diamond encased friend?” Hux asked as Matt carefully lifted Poe up. 

“We will still need to exorcise it and purify the diamond,” Phasma said softly. “Kylo, do you mind doing the honors? I want to get Poe back as soon as possible so I can set his arm properly.”

“Sure thing,” Kylo nodded. 

“What do you want me to do?” Hux asked, feeling a bit like a useless body at this point.

“Assist Kylo, of course. I would prefer you to still shadow Matt, but Kylo needs someone to help watch the stone and set up things. So call it a pre-course lesson in assisting Kylo until he’s done here. Mattie, Techie, and I will meet you both back at headquarters. Well done on your first day of work,” Phasma replied, and after receiving curt nods in response, she headed out the door with Matt, Poe still out cold in his arms.

Once the two of them were alone, Hux raised his eyes to lock with Kylo’s. The other Alpha’s eyes were dark in the dim light, but that didn’t mean that they had lost any intensity. Swallowing thickly, Hux asked softly, “What do you need help with?”


	5. The Fortress of Ren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux gets to see where Kylo lives. Also, there are a few revelations and a shift in both Hux and Kylo's relationship (or whatever it is at this point - even _I_ don't even know XD ) And of course.... denial. Gotta have denial in a slow burn fic.

### Chapter 5: The Fortress of Ren

“We need to clear some of the debris away and make a binding circle pentagram on the floorboards over there.” Kylo told Hux, pointing to a large space in what looked to be the house’s former living room. “The diamond is all binding, so the demon can’t escape its prison, but I’d rather get everything purified, exorcised, and finished sooner rather than later.” 

“Understandable,” Hux stated, not willing to stick around that rotting corpse for much longer either. This place already gave him the creeps, but after having such a long day, Hux was beginning to feel his adrenaline and excitement fading. He was very much looking forward to soaking in a hot bath and then cuddling with Millie in a blanket burrito type of nest, sipping a hot mug of cocoa. 

Regardless of his longing for more creature comforts, Hux concentrated for the next several minutes, helping Kylo move debris away from the main front room. Once done, Kylo took a black permanent marker and started drawing. Hux, not sure what to do now, simply stayed out of the way and watched the Alpha work. Though Hux was not one to have a perfect photographic memory, he was still a quick learner. The symbols and runes Kylo drew on the ground were intricate and almost delicate. If Hux hadn’t already been told that Kylo’s part time job was as a legal arms dealer, he would have pegged him as an artist.

Finishing up, Kylo turned and instructed, “Ok, while this is drying, we need to go outside and do a salt and ash pentagram surrounding the two houses. It’s good that Techie already made the barrier so we just need to do the pentagram star and symbols. You concentrate on the inverted star, and I’ll focus on the symbols.”

“Will do,” Hux stated, heading out the door to grab one of the bags of salt Techie had left behind for this purpose. Now that he had a fairly good idea what a pentagram star looked like, he was careful in spreading the salt stream out evenly. It took him a bit, but once he was done, the star didn’t look half bad for his first try. Kylo had finished doing the symbols and had headed back inside to start transporting the demon block of diamond into the pentagram. Once Hux joined him, Kylo had him sit down outside of the black pentagram to watch and learn. “Once you start shadowing me, you’ll need to learn this exorcism spell by heart. But, for now, this small booklet will be a good study,” Kylo said as he tossed Hux a small booklet. It almost looked like some sort of old bible, but it was filled to the rim with hand written notes.

“Why Kylo, I had no idea you were a Wiccan,” Hux said, surprised, as he looked at the various runes etched on the front of the book. “And I thought we weren’t supposed to take notes just in case it got confiscated or stolen if shit hit the fan.”

“I am not,” Kylo said with a small smirk. He added as he took out a small switch blade to slice a small incision in his palm, “My grandfather was. It’s in my blood, but my folks weren’t big on having me following in his footsteps as an apprentice, so we moved away when I was very young. I was lucky I got to see him once a year during Winter Solstice. After he passed on, all of his stuff was given to me for safe keeping once I turned eighteen. It was kept safe from my parent’s knowledge or my Uncle’s by a friend of the family until I was able to leave home. I’ve pieced together most of his notes and have studied the supernatural for the past twelve years. I’ve been an active hunter since I got out of college.” He then shrugged and said, “I am allowed the small reference book only because I have a spell on it that if in the wrong hands, it will portal itself out of enemy hands and into the pocket of the nearest SPCIS member out of harm's way. And once you pass all your tests and become a full member, I’ll teach you the spell, as I have done with the other members of our team. Though they still would rather just have everything in their head, I for one, like having backup just in case.”

Hux nodded slowly, pausing in his perusal of the book in his hands so he could watch what Kylo did next. “Well I guess I can understand why you would have wanted to join up with the SPCIS once it was formed, and will definitely take you up on the offer of learning the spell. Backups are always good to have..”

“Yea, you could say it was, and still is a great investment,” Kylo said softly, in reference to the SPCIS and gave him a sly smirk before all talk ceased. 

As Hux watched Kylo spread small drops of blood on the center of the diamond encased demon, the ginger Alpha narrowed his eyes. Something about that prior statement held a multitude of meanings and secrets. The runes on the inside of the first page of the journal said ‘Chronicles of Anakin Skywalker, Volume 1 - August 4, 1492 - December 6, 1492.’. Blinking a bit, Hux scowled and looked at the writing again. 1492? Before he could comment on the fact that either Kylo’s grandfather had a twisted sense of humor, or he must have been some sort of vampire, Kylo began chanting softly in latin. 

What came next was kind of anti-climatic, if Hux was being honest with himself. There was a bit of a scream and then the demon smoke inside the diamond block just up and disappeared, leaving the block milky white. With a soft huff, Kylo said a bit of a different incantation, spreading a bit of water from a flask at his hip. Must have been some sort of holy water, if Hux would have to guess. Odd that Kylo was the only one wearing said flask. 

Kylo must have sensed his arched eyebrows or confused look for he explained once done with the incantation, “Phasma seems to think that since I have the most knowledge on how to get rid of demons out of our group, that I also know how to bless and purify things. I do my best, but in all honesty, I am no spiritual healer.”

“Ah,” Hux grunted in understanding. 

After performing purification and more exorcising spells, this time over the rest of the premises, burning the corpse and burying it - which was break backing work for the both of them, Hux and Kylo did one final check over the area to make sure it was void of of supernatural threats. By the time they were finished, the night was starting to fade and morning was due to come soon. Despite wanting nothing more than to go home and cuddle with Millie, Hux found that this whole first day and night had been way more exciting than he’d thought it would be. Taking a sniff in the direction of his companion, Hux noted that the man seemed almost like a tireless machine. Of course, Hux knew that the other Alpha would probably collapse in exhaustion once home.

He was proven partially correct when they finally got into the Impala, noting that Techie, Matt, Poe, and Phasma had smartly taken the van back to headquarters. Hux drove silently towards headquarters, making sure to go by gps, even if Ren had snickered in mirth about it. Not wanting to get lost, just in case Ren did, in fact pass out during the trip, Hux felt he was being safe using gps.

By the time they reached headquarters, Ren looked to be in a trance, almost barely lucid, though he did get out of the car and follow Hux into the facility without aide. Once the both of them checked in with the others, noting that Poe was tired, but otherwise resilient and in good spirits, his arm now in a makeshift sling, everyone packed up to leave. Techie had then taken one look at Ren, probably noting how tired the Alpha looked and had blurted out worriedly, “Yea, you are going to go with us. You are going to go with us and we will drive you _home_. I call for a sleepover at Kylo’s!”

Kylo warily looked at Techie and grunted, but didn’t object.

Hux narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and shrugged, not quite understanding why Techie wanted a sleepover. He could understand wanting to ensure the other Alpha got home safely, but still. Rubbing his face tiredly, Hux figured he could ask Techie about it later if he still was curious. Once inside the Impala, Hux suddenly understood. Kylo sat down in the back seat next to Hux while Matt put some overnight duffels in the trunk. The Alpha made no move to buckle up, or do much of anything besides stare in a trance like state in front of him. Techie must have noticed and fussed over him, getting him buckled up at least.

Hux finally figured that Techie had very good reason to be worried about Kylo. Instead of mentally crashing like most people once their adrenaline was shot, Kylo looked to deal with fatigue differently. Even when they got on the road, the notion became even more clear to Hux when he ended up with a large Alpha out cold pressed up against him, Kylo’s head resting at first on his shoulder. Before Hux could even adjust himself a bit more comfortably under the weight of Kylo’s partially collapsed form, the Alpha had unconsciously maneuvered himself in his sleep to lay awkwardly, his knees folded in the cramped space in the back seat. When the Alpha finally stopped moving, Hux had Kylo’s head in his lap. Hux was almost about ready to try and get the man to move, but then he caught Techie’s worried eye from the passenger seat in front of him and thought better of it.

He was rewarded a moment later when Techie explained softly, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the Impala’s roaring engine, “He does this every once in a while. After a big job like tonight, even if it was just for a minor demon, casting spells, purifying things, exorcising, you name it leaves Kylo exhausted. Powers come with a price. We usually stay with him when he gets this way because Kylo’s mind can be a very scary place. He’s vulnerable like this, so we keep an eye on him so he can get some rest, if his mind will let him. He can have worse nightmares than me at times.”

Hux’s eyes widened. 

Techie went on, “At least he only passed out this time. Sometimes he has seizures and it can get…. It can get pretty bad. The team doesn’t like using him to past the brink of what he can handle, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Hux nodded slowly, assimilating the information. With a soft sigh, Hux relaxed and concentrated on the fact that he had the other Alpha’s head in his lap. In all honesty, Ren did look quite vulnerably adorable like this. His hair was slightly matted with dust and sweat; his face looked much younger as it lay on the ginger’s lap. On impulse, one that Hux was too tired to prevent, he reached down with one gloved hand and ran his fingers through the man’s soft hair. He figured it was probably softer than it looked.

“Anyone hungry?” Matt asked softly. “We could get some fast food, diner food, or pizza from that 24 hour place nearby. I know Kylo’s going to be ravenous once we get to his place.”

“Good idea, Mattie,” Techie said with a bright, if tired smile. “I’m down for diner food, to be honest. Pancakes with chocolate chips and bacon sounds so good right now. What about you, Armie?”

“The biggest bacon and cheese omelet on the planet with a mound of greasy hash browns sounds marvelous,” hux admitted, his stomach rumbling in response. “Make that two. I feel like I could eat a whole buffet table at the moment.”

Techie snorted but probably agreed wholeheartedly. Omegas might eat more usually than Alphas, but Hux was a particular Alpha. After an adrenaline crash and long day, Hux tended to wolf down food almost faster than Techie. It usually amused Matt to no end, watching the both of them chow down on a record amount of food in one sitting. Techie quickly called Poe to get both his and Phasma’s order from Village Inn shortly after.

Once they got to the diner, Hux kept Kylo company in the car while Matt and Techie went inside to order and pick up the food. During the time that the two were gone, Hux gave up on surveying their surroundings for hidden threats and once again drew his attention to his slumbering companion. The Alpha was too bloody gorgeous, with his soft toned skin, moles and freckles dotting every surface Hux could see. Dark, almost black hair that was actually tameable and wavy almost gave Hux a bit of a envious pang. What he wouldn’t give to have luscious locks like those.

Kylo’s clothes fit him like a glove, even his jacket molded to his larger frame. Hux ran his gloved fingers again through the hellhound shifter’s hair and smirked slightly when the other man sighed deeply, absently leaning into his touch. 

Ren was touch starved. And that was putting it lightly.

It made Hux unwillingly draw parallels between the two of them. Regardless of Kylo being so complex, brash, and spontaneous in his moods, Hux couldn’t help but see and understand a bit of the man cuddling up to him like an overgrown lap dog. Dedication, the need for approval, attention starved, fiercely loyal and highly protective of those he held dear - those attributes coincided with traits Hux knew he, himself shared. Perhaps they weren’t so different in the grand scheme of things.

Of course Hux would rather pull his teeth out with pliers, than admit that aloud. Pushing some of Kylo’s hair back so Hux could study more of his features, he noted with amusement that the man had rather large ears. No wonder Ren had his hair longer than what was considered trendy or fashionable. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were sensitive, too. Absently running a gloved finger along the ridge of one of Kylo’s ears, Hux stifled a chuckle when the still slumbering Alpha made move to burrow his face more into the ginger’s lap, ear pulled away from his touch.

Yep. Definitely sensitive.

Hux snapped his attention up reluctantly when he heard the door to the diner open not long after. Techie and Matt headed to the car, laden down with food and drinks. They managed to get the passenger door open with not much trouble. Hux would have offered to help, but he didn’t want to wake Kylo. If what Techie had said was true - and he often was, then Kylo needed all the rest, mentally and physically he could get. Techie sat down in the passenger seat and let Matt pile packages on top of him and in front of his legs on the floorboard. Once settled, Matt handed over the drinks. 

Once Matt got back into the driver’s seat of the Impala, and they were back on the road, Hux felt the sensation of being watched. Looking down again at Kylo, he caught the man’s intense, dark gaze. Molton brown, almost black eyes regarded his for a long moment, making Hux swallow dryly. Hux made no move to withdraw his hand from the other Alpha’s hair. In what seemed like hours, but only was a few seconds, Kylo closed his eyes again, soon slipping into a comfortable and relaxed slumber.

Hux was left feeling deeply shaken.

Those eyes had been so expressive and so intense. And they had shown vulnerability and pain. So much pain that Hux had no doubt that Kylo was haunted, and not due to any supernatural power at present. Whatever past torment Hux had been able to glimpse at through Kylo’s eyes in a moment of weakness had shaken the ginger to the core. Regardless of the increasing layers of mystery surrounding Kylo, Hux felt a swell of protectiveness surge through him. Licking his lips, the Alpha raised his eyes and caught Techie watching him with a look of understanding. Even Matt glanced back at him through the rear view mirror a few times, his gaze of somber reflection.

It was in that moment Hux knew that the unspoken meaning was heartbreakingly clear. And though Hux knew it was completely futile, rash, and unlike him in many ways, he couldn’t help but feel like he was falling into the abyss of the unknown. He was falling for the man so close and yet so far from him. What secrets he held within that brain of his both vexed and intrigued Hux. Attraction aside, there were so many ways things could go so horribly wrong. How would a relationship work between the two of them? And would Kylo even be interested? Lust was one thing, but a full on relationship was another. Despite all of the doubts swarming around Hux’s head, he knew it was futile to resist at this point.

With that thought in mind, Hux vowed not to play with the fire spreading through himself and Ren. Though he desperately wanted to plunge head first into this without thinking things through, Hux wasn’t stupid by any means. It would be better to let things progress naturally and unforced. He would stop fighting with himself over this attraction, this slide into the horrible wreck that was Ren. 

“You really know how to pick them, don’t you Armie?” Techie mused with a small snicker, his voice lightly teasing, but accepting.

Wasn’t that an oversimplified truth.

“Apparently so,” Hux admitted softly, too tired to be embarrassed by his brother’s astuteness. However, he did have to point out dryly, even if it did seem a bit self depreciating, “He probably doesn’t feel the same, and that’s fine. I am perfectly fine with the way things are. The way things are progressing….”

Techie shared an exasperated look with Matt and huffed, but didn’t press the issue. Hux rolled his eyes regardless. Was he being deliberately obtuse? Perhaps, but Hux had been burned far too many times in his past. It was best not to get his hopes up, no matter how good Ren smelled.

For now.

### 

Once the Impala, followed by the van pulled up to Kylo’s residence, Hux wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. There was an old building surrounded by an empty lot that they pulled into. It almost looked abandoned, save for the live wire security gate surrounding the place. Hux never thought anyone could match Techie when it came to being highly paranoid and handsy with electronic security systems. This place looked almost like it had the security border of a small military base. However, once inside the gate, Hux openly gaped as they passed through some sort of mirage barrier. What was revealed in the place of the old building was a broken down trailer laying in the middle of a smaller lot. 

“Ok Kylo, you need to sound the passcode, otherwise we’ll be stuck in the parallel world too long,” Techie advised, making sure his voice was loud and sharp enough to wake Kylo.

Hux nearly jumped a foot when Kylo rumbled out a growling croon so deep and haunting that it reverberated in Hux’s soul, shrouding it in ice. The whole car shook, along with the van behind them, and the near circumference surrounding them. It wasn’t loud, but the noise had felt like it echoed through Hux’s ears and senses. After Kylo’s rumble stopped and faded, a mist formed, surrounding the Impala and van behind it. When the mist cleared,the trailer was replaced by a very real looking castle surrounded by another gate.

“What in the kriff?” Hux breathed in awe. “Where are we?”

“Welcome to the Fortress of Ren,” Techie said with a impish mock spooky voice, a smile plastered on his face. “It’s located in the underworld and borders the farthest gates of Hell.”

Joy.

Hux felt a bit of a chill fall over his skin, but he shook it off. Curious, he looked out of his window at the place, not being able to see much due to it still being dark outside. Where in the human world it seemed to be almost dawn, here it was still pitch black. The castle itself, from what he could tell, was looming and immense with stone covering almost the entire structure. 

Before he could scrutinize much more, Kylo slowly sat up, and Hux felt his hand drop uselessly into his now barren lap. Ignoring how bereft he felt without Kylo’s body heat, Hux looked over at the Alpha carefully. Ren seemed to still look like he’d been ran over by a tank, and probably needed a ton of sleep, but he did look a smidge better due to his small nap. Kylo rubbed his face and hair, but otherwise didn’t comment. At least he was no longer in a trance like vegetative state. The haunted look that had been on Kylo’s face earlier was now completely gone.

Matt pulled inside the large gated courtyard, the van following right behind him. Inside the courtyard was cobblestone pavement that looked reminiscent of ancient Germanic design. The smell of freshly mowed grass, and rain filtered across Hux’s nose as the everyone got out of the Impala. And though he still couldn’t see much of the castle in front of him, he still peered up at it’s large expanse. If he had been a fanciful creature, Hux probably would have thought that this castle belonged to Dracula, or perhaps Frankenstein. Stone archways and bricks almost as big as one of his long legs were piled high and sculpted in an elegant, but protective design. 

And though Halloween was merely a month away, Hux almost envisioned ghosts or gargoyles lounging around near the darkest parts of the eaves far above them, several stories high. How could just one person live here by themselves? From what Techie had told him about Ren recently was that the man chose to live alone, and his family wasn’t in the picture, whether or not by choice, Hux wasn’t certain. To have a place this huge by oneself, it must be a lonely existence. Even if solitude was appreciated, and Hux could totally understand the want of having only one’s own self as company, the Alpha had to admit he’d be lost without Techie and Matt in his life as almost constant comforting presences. 

Being forced out of his reverie by Techie suddenly taking up his hand, Hux let himself be dragged through the courtyard and up a large cobblestoned ramp towards the main entrance of the castle. Matt and the others took care of the bags of food, drinks, their belongings and followed suit, though they helped guide Kylo along. Techie hollered over his shoulder at the rest of the group, “Hurry up guys! I smell a storm brewing, and I don’t think any of us want to be fried by lightning or be splattered by boulder sized hail.”

 _Boulder sized… what?_ Hux blinked at Techie incredulously, and at his astonished look, his brother shrugged and stated matter of factly, “I am dead serious. One time I saw a block of ice falling out of the sky here almost as big as myself. I was very thankful to be indoors. At least indoors, the castle has its own protection against the storms that castoff from Hell’s gates.”

Hux wasn’t sure what to say to that, but finally allowed, “I can see why you would want to make haste then. That’s something I would rather not encounter after a long day and night that we’ve had already.”

“Agreed,” Phasma said with a small smile as she came to stand nearby, her arms laden with a few duffles. 

“What about the vehicles? Won’t they be damaged?” Hux asked as Kylo went up to the thick wood and stone double doored entrance and made another rumbling sound, this time softer. The door opened to admit the group, who made haste to get inside before the storm hit.

Poe shook his head no. “Nah, Kylo has our vehicles protected to that sort of thing. My guess is that the storms just want to terrorize living creatures - plant life exempt. Hell is, in fact, Hell, even if we are outside of it, near it’s outer rim.”

Hux nodded.

They had barely closed the huge doors before the ‘storm’ hit. Hux soon heard the thudding of large hail, slashing gales of wind whipping against the sides of the castle, and loud claps of thunder - a result of too close lightning bolts. “Does this happen often?” Hux couldn’t help asking.

Kylo answered this time, his voice tired, but nonetheless more like himself, “Every twelve hours or so. Perks of being in a place where Halloween is a never ending night.”

“You mean it is always night here?” Hux asked distractedly, looking around at the softly lit entryway foyer they were currently in. Though the light was dim, it brightened when Kylo snapped his fingers with his left hand. 

Interesting. So the castle had modern lighting at least. And knowing that Kylo at least had some sort of modern taste, perhaps that was a good sign of this place being fully equipped with running water and regular electricity. He almost wondered if they had wifi. Did Hell even have wifi?

Kylo answered, “Yes, but I made sure to make some adjustments to the gardens out back, so they have regular atmosphere much like what’s in the human world - sun, seasons, that sort of thing.”

Hux swallowed and stepped in to get a better view of the large foyer. If he thought the safe house was big, this, this was immense. He almost felt like a small boy inside this large place, searching for hidden dragons or unicorns. The grey stone walls went up and up several stories, thick black and red banners with strange runic symbols hung from the rafters high above them. Large paned windows above the door scaled quite high up, clean but showing age. There were various pieces of framed art depicting galaxies, battles, and nature hanging on the walls. In front of them were two large staircases going up to the second floor and beyond draped with red trimmed black carpeting. Shaking himself out of his childish fantasies, Hux admitted, “Commendable, and quite intriguing. But, why go all through this trouble to live in such an undesirable area? Not that I am trying to offend - I just want to understand.”

The Alpha sighed deeply and finally shrugged, saying softly, “Because I must.” The cryptic answer vexed Hux to no end, but he let it go as the other man turned and made his way into a different room, lights turning on as he entered. 

Motion sensored lights. Fascinating.

Hux arched his eyebrows in interest at the retreating Alpha’s back, but then Techie tugged on him to follow him through the large cavernous entry way. Black marble tiles felt smooth under his feet, and muffled the sound of their movements until they came to walk on more red trimmed black carpet.. Phasma and Poe followed them to a different room, which looked to be like a huge kitchen and lounge area. Kylo must have disappeared to go refresh himself or change. 

It made sense. If it weren’t for the fact that his stomach was ready to eat its way out of his body, he’d probably want to know at least were a bathroom was. However, eventually his bladder was making itself known. Thankfully, Matt was fine with showing him where he could freshen up a bit. There was a bathroom situated in between the kitchen and lounge area, it being of a moderate size with a rather large shower bath combo in it. The Alpha looked at it longingly, but refrained from trying it out before he got some food in his stomach. After relieving himself and washing his face and hands, replacing his gloves carefully, Hux had to admit, he didn’t look half bad after such a long twenty four hours.

After coming out of the bathroom and joining everyone in the kitchen, sitting himself on a stool near a large rectangular island, Hux pulled out his phone and snorted. Apparently Hell did have wifi, or at least this place did. Still, he looked over at Techie, “Is it ok to use my phone here? I want to text the housekeeper to feed Millie since we won’t be getting back home until later.” He had plum forgot about Millie in the past hour or so. Millie would be fine by herself however. As long as she got fed and watered, Hux was fine leaving her alone at the safe house until they all got some rest.

Techie nodded, as he took some food containers out of the various packages on the counter. “Yea, Kylo has wifi setup here just fine. He even has satellite stuff hooked up to his network, so you can watch practically anything you want.”

“Great,” Hux breathed and sent his housekeeper a message, hoping that the time here and there weren’t different like the way it was in the parallel world. 

When he asked Techie that question, Poe answered for him, saying that this house may be on the outskirts of Hell, but it was directly outside the gates, so time was set to whatever Kylo wanted it to be. Poe admitted, “It’s kind of nice having real estate here. You can choose whatever time you want, since it doesn’t really matter here. You can do a lot of things, despite being so far off grid you are in a different realm from the human world.”

Taking a sip of strong hot tea Techie put in front of him, Hux enjoyed the flavor while taking a look around the kitchen. It was a nice size, and fully modernized, though the cabinets had been restored recently and still had their old rustic feel. The wood was sturdy and smooth, and the counters were marbled with black and grey color, expensive from the looks of them. Again Hux lamented the fact that he couldn’t feel the surface with his hands. How he would have liked to have ran his bare fingers over the cool smoothness. 

He was jostled out of his thoughts when Techie stuck a plate of food in front of him, two big omelets, and a large helping of hash browns, just like he’d ordered. Though ravenous, Hux opted this time to wait until Techie took the first bite of food, and by then, Kylo had returned, looking much cleaner and more alert. He was dressed down to a clean pair of black yoga pants, topped off with a long black t-shirt and grey hoodie. His feet were bare as he padded into the kitchen to get his own food. Hux surveyed him with a long look, before turning back to his plate.

Stabbing a piece of scrumptious omelet with his fork, Hux stuffed his face with it, feeling a bit more alive, curiosity again taking over him as he looked around more thoroughly. The kitchen and lounge definitely looked lived in with personal touches here and there. The place was spotless and had a touch of OCD written all over the exact placement of red cushions on the black oversized couches, folded blankets in a wicker basket underneath an end table, accent furniture having minimal dust on the oak surfaces. Even the lamps were pristine. Hux wondered if Kylo had some sort of staff to keep the place clean.

His actions must have been altogether obvious, for Kylo remarked softly, “The castle cleans itself up most days. Sometimes it doesn’t or has a mood swing. It all depends on whether I’m away on business for weeks at a time. When I return, the place usually looks like it had been under a huge internal siege.”

“A self cleaning castle,” Hux mused and then added with a deadpan tone, “With mood swings.”

“Oh stop it, Armie. It is a very sweet castle and probably just misses Kylo when he’s away. The castle has been very kind to all of us when we visit,” Techie admonished before stuffing his face with a huge bite of syrupy pancake. Once he swallowed around the mouthful, Techie added, “It’ll probably be very nice to you too if you treat it with respect.”

After all the weird and strange things that had happened to him in the past few weeks, Hux figured he’d just let it slide. If there was one thing Hux was good at doing, it was adapting well with the supernatural. His mood was observed by his family and coworkers, all probably wondering how in the kriff he was taking all of this so well. Poe was the first to break the silence, true curiosity and bafflement thick in his voice, “Not phased yet? You must have nerves of steel when it comes to weird.”

“More like I’ve been through so much in my life and have encountered so many odd things that something like this doesn’t bother me,” Hux explained. Pausing to consume another bite of omelet, he swallowed before admitting, “It helps to have one’s own curses and gifts. And to have a brother and his mate have different supernatural abilities. But, regardless of all that, I am finding all of this fascinating. For the first time in my life, a first day of a new job didn’t suck.”

At his comment, his companions snorted and chuckled with pleased and understanding mirth. Techie gave him a happy grin, even though he quickly stuffed his face with more bites of pancake shortly after. The rest of the group sobered, but shared lingering smiles before tucking in to their own plates of food. 

Hux found himself drawn yet again to watching Kylo albeit covertly. No need to annerve the man just because the ginger Alpha was having a bit more than a crush. The other Alpha ate slowly, but managed to clean his plate and another helping. He seemed to like crepes and steak breakfast burritos. If he felt Hux’s observant eyes on his person, he made no movement to indicate he did. Kylo kept his eyes on his food for the most part, and that was fine with Hux.

Now that he accepted the fact that he was falling for the other man, Hux felt no shame in ogling Ren from time to time.

After everyone had polished off their makeshift breakfast, they cleaned up and piled into the lounge. At first, Hux was going to try and get directions to a guest room so he could rest in privacy, but then he noted everyone was strategically crowding around Kylo: Techie curling up with Matt on the floor with a bunch of pillows and blankets, Phasma sprawling out to Kylo’s left in a different sofa, and Poe doing the same on the other side of the Alpha. That left Kylo by himself on his own sofa, though it was pretty mammoth in size, but surrounded by people who cared about him. It was then that Hux remembered Techie’s comment about the man having horrible nightmares and his eyes softened in understanding.

However, he felt like nudging his Omega brother in the head when he noted that the only place he could sit nearby was right next to Kylo on that mammoth couch. Techie and the others weren’t very subtle, but Hux decided to just deal with it for now. After plonking his ass down irritably on the couch, the group started passing out more blankets and pillows to get more comfortable. Hux found himself at an odd angle, not being able to stretch out his legs and get comfortable. He noted Kylo, to his credit, was trying not to touch him or invade his personal space. With sudden exasperation, Hux huffed and muttered, “Fuck it.”

He took hold of Kylo’s ankles and stretched them out to lay fully on the couch. However, in doing so, Hux now didn’t have a place to sit, so he opted to lay on top of Kylo, causing the dark haired Alpha to rumble in surprise. Hux muttered, “Shut up or I’m going to hit you.”

Hux knew he was stomping all over the other Alpha’s boundaries, and it didn’t help that Kylo started smelling even more enticing. He must have not been as quiet as he’d thought, for the surrounding group started giggling and chuckling. Hux rolled his eyes and curled up to have his face resting on Kylo’s chest. For a long moment, Kylo lay tense underneath him before he finally snickered and relaxed, stretching out a bit more.

“Comfortable?” Kylo asked with mirth, despite Hux’s earlier demand for silence.

“Yes, now shut up,” Hux grumbled back, almost half asleep.

For a while nothing was said, and soon the sounds of snores and deep slumbering breathing started filtering the lounge. Hux, though almost asleep, felt Kylo wrap an arm around his back, pressing him closer to his chest and stomach. Not minding this one bit, Hux didn’t object. However, not long after, Kylo reached up with his other hand to lightly tug Hux’s glove on his right hand off. Hux was about to hiss out a noise of protest but before he could, Kylo put his hand into his. When nothing happened, no visions or strange flashbacks assaulting Hux’s exhausted mind, Hux relaxed a bit more, letting out a slow breath in a whoosh. 

He then intertwined their fingers together. It had been so long since he’d touched a human being like this - barring the incident with Kylo the prior week. Something about Ren didn’t set off his psychometry and he didn’t know why. But, he couldn’t help but relish the feeling of skin contact on his. Kylo’s hand was much bigger than his own, though their fingers were almost the same length. Drifting off to sleep, the last thing Hux remembered was the soothing sound of Ren’s heartbeat thumping under his cheek, and his relaxed but no less mouthwatering scent. Coupled all that with the feeling of soft, calloused fingers holding his hand captive, Hux felt safer than he had in a very long time.

### 

Some hours later, Hux felt Kylo squeezing his hand like a vice, and he groggily shook off some of the vestiges of sleep around his fogged mind. It didn’t take the ginger long to find out what was wrong. Kylo was trembling and moaning softly in his sleep. The soft sounds of distress tugged at Hux’s vulnerable sleep fogged soul. The poor man was having a nightmare. Hux wasn’t sure if it was a bad one since this was the first time he actually was viewing Ren sleeping, but he didn’t like the way the other Alpha was smelling. Fear, pain, and anger was wafting off of him like mad and though Hux wanted to pry his hand away from the tight grasp of Kylo to see if he could wake him up, he decided to try a different strategy.

Instead, he just offered what he could to the other Alpha by squeezing his hand back, and rubbing his nose into Kylo’s chest, willing the rock hard control over his pheromones to relax. For long moments he did this, letting his scent waft up into the air surrounding them and rubbing his nose soothingly against Kylo’s collarbone and ribs. It wasn’t long before the other Alpha started calming. Eventually, he felt Kylo relax again underneath him, his breath coming out in a long, shaky sigh. Kylo’s grip on his hand relaxed soon after, and before Hux could fall back asleep, Kylo gently rubbed at the sore areas of his hand, as if in silent thanks, his fingers massaging out some of the tension. 

Either Kylo was now awake, or he was still in his dreams, but Hux didn’t care. Sleep again took hold over him but not before he mused in interest that sometime during their rest someone had thrown a blanket over them.

### 

Hours later, Hux woke to the sound of giggles and snickers coming from both Techie and Phasma. He burrowed his face more into his living, breathing pillow and rumbled irritably. When the kriffing giggles didn’t stop, Hux rumbled again in annoyance. However, Techie got to the point where he was laughing and hiccuping, and that made Hux open one eye blearily. The sight that greeted him would have irritated him more, but he was just too bloody comfortable and warm at the moment. Phasma was standing in front of them taking video or pictures of himself and Kylo with her phone. Techie was propped up on one bit nest of pillows, a wrinkle in his nose as he continued to snicker and hiccup.

Rude.

Absently, he noted that Kylo was still out of it, so he carefully rubbed the sleep crud out of his eyes with his unoccupied hand and blearily moved slightly to take a look at him, trying not to wake him in the process. Kylo looked incredibly peaceful and so young, but Phasma could see why she would want to take pictures. The man had his mouth open slightly and drool was creating a lovely stream from his lips down one cheek. With a small huff of amusement, Hux tried to release Kylo’s hand from his so he could try and get up to use the bathroom. That wasn’t an easy act, and though he had no idea how in the kriff it happened, he ended up tangled in the blankets and on the floor with his ass in the air. 

Techie couldn’t help it then, he rolled over and laughed loudly, causing Phasma to join in the laughter. The sound must have woken Kylo, for he groaned softly and rubbed his face, closing his mouth. Hux wrestled with his blanket before he finally got untangled. Feeling a bit too out of it still to be embarrassed, Hux ran a hand over his hair, noting it was sticking up in several places and yawned. 

Looking around, Poe and Matt were not present, and when asked, Phasma commented that both were taking showers. Getting that thought screwed up in his head, he shook it to clear the strange image of both actually taking showers TOGETHER out of his head. He knew first hand that Matt would die painfully before he cheated on Techie, and it didn’t seem like he was Poe’s type. Techie finally sobered and scooted over to plop down next to Hux, grinning up at him like a cute fox.

Hux ruffled Techie’s poofed out hair and snorted, not being able to be irritated at his brother for long.

It was when he was folding the soft blanket when he noticed a glove was still missing from one hand. Staring at his hand and the blanket for one long moment, feeling the soft fibers under his skin, Hux shivered and swallowed carefully. “How…. How?” He whispered, awed and a bit afraid.

“We actually have a theory on that, Hux. While you two lovebirds were still out of it, we all kind of talked a bit about the fact that you seem to not have a problem holding hands with Kylo,” Techie pointed out, sobering and looking at Hux with a narrowed gaze. “And… now it looks like you aren’t having a problem with the blanket.”

Kylo sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes and looking over to where Hux was, eyes widening comically when he spotted the ginger touching something with his bare hand that should have set off his psychometry. “Go on, I am listening,” Hux said with a trembling voice, trying hard to refrain from hunting frantically for his missing glove.

Phasma plopped down to sit next to Kylo and put away her phone. “Maybe we should wait to have this discussion until after the boys get done - oh, nevermind,” Phasma broke off as she spotted Matt join them, followed by Poe. 

Once everyone was settled, Hux tried to keep calm and not freaking out. This seemed to be like one big dream. One cruel and crazy dream that had him feel false hope. He was afraid to rub the texture of the cloth under his fingertips, but the temptation was too great and with trepidation, Hux rubbed the soft surface, feeling pleasure unlike anything he’d ever felt before. His fingers were so sensitive, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft hiss, trying hard to control his spiraling emotions. 

_He’d always had it, this cursed gift. Teleportation didn’t come until puberty, but by then, he’d already been shown the deepest pits of his own personal hell. Any touch with his hands gave him seizures. It wasn’t until later that the visions came. At first his horrid biological father, who couldn’t understand his affliction, or Techie’s gifts, tried narcotics on them both. Then he tried other methods. Why have a sensitive, different offspring? Why not beat it out of them? And so, the abuse started, and Hux, knowing how fragile Techie was, made sure to take their father’s anger on him if he could. Sometimes the beatings were so brutal, so cruel. And then there was the day that his teleportation skills came into play. He’d teleported Techie and himself to their nan’s house in Ireland during a beating._

_His nan had been kind and caring, but even she couldn’t stop the tide from coming, nor had she understood their gifts. She had done right by them while Hux was barely thirteen and Techie eleven. They had stayed with her for one whole year, until their father got out of prison due to good behavior and the fact that he had enough money to buy every judge and jury he encountered._

_After he got out and resumed custody of the two boys, nan could do nothing but keep her door open whether the storm as best she could. When she died not even two months later, Hux had almost given up on living. The only thing that kept him alive was Techie._

_Crazy, whimsical Techie._

_But then, Hux turned sixteen and things got worse. Way worse._

“Hux!” Kylo rumbled, his voice pulling Hux away from the fog of memories that he isn’t ready to face yet. He felt arms wrapped around him, holding his shaking frame and soothing hands running down his back. “Breathe. Listen to my breathing, that’s it….”

“Jesus, if I knew he was going to freak, I would have gave him his glove sooner,” Techie said, his voice full of worry. “I guess it makes sense. He hasn’t touched something as mundane as a blanket outside of his gloves in a long time.”

“You had no way of knowing, Techie. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You might get feelings, but not actual premonitions.” Matt’s calm voice filtered in. 

“How, how is this possible?” Hux stammered, his bare hand clenching Kylo’s shirt like a lifeline. “I can feel…. I can feel - everything. EVERYTHING.”

“It’s too much, too soon. Maybe you’d better give him his glove back,” Techie suggested.

“It might be too late for that. Let Kylo handle him. We can step in if he fades again,” Phasma said.

“One thing is for sure, if he passes out and is pissed off at you when he wakes back up, it’s not my problem. This was your guys’ idea,” Poe commented.

“Shut up, Poe,” Matt growled warningly.

Blinking up into Kylo’s worried face he shivered and gasped out, “I can feel everything and the visions are gone. They are **GONE**.”

Kylo suddenly caught his gaze and held it, and Hux felt calm soothe over his body like smoke, a warm breeze shrouding everything and then the Alpha whispered, “Calm down. Allow yourself to feel Hux. _Allow_ it. And **calm down**.”


	6. Complications and Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are heating things up! There is a KISS (yes, an actual kiss in this chapter so just yea... bring on the drool buckets). Also, let's bring on the angst, because angst unfortunately or fortunately, is my jam. TW: Bit of a brief mention of past child abuse. Just wanted to throw that out there. Otherwise, hope you like the chapter.

### Chapter 6: Complications and Reckoning

_“You lazy piece of shit! You are a coward! If you have an ability that you can’t use effectively, then you shouldn’t have it at all! I will rip it out of you, just like I will rid it out of your brothers. I can’t believe I sired such hellspawn!”_

_“You’ll die before you touch us again.”_

_“Oh, ho ho, you actually have a backbone? Well, prove it to me then, you coward! Go ahead and run to the police again, though it’ll be worthless.”_

_“I hate you! Why can’t you leave us alone!”_

_“I sired you. You both belong to me. I can do with you what I want, when I want!”_

_“Let go of him!”_

_“Armie, don’t -”_

Hux woke with a start as his alarm blared. 

Rubbing his face tiredly, he reached over and turned the damn thing off. Another Monday. 

With a huff, Hux got up and headed to his bathroom, reaching down to rub Millie’s ears with affection. It had been six days since it had happened. Kylo had stopped him from having a full blown psychometric panic attack episode the prior Tuesday, just by ordering him to calm down. Something so simple, and yet, so deep. 

Hux took a long shower, reflecting as he always did ever since that day. Kylo had been calm, and understanding to a point. How he had managed to order his body to calm like that still boggled Hux’s mind. After he had calmed down completely and was lucid, Hux had been forced to accept the overwhelming sensations of being able to touch something with his bare hand and not have a vision. It still sort of seemed like one big dream. 

Phasma’s theory had merit. 

Kylo seemed to be a catalyst to his powers, or at least a baseboard he could hold onto and be in control. They were still trying to gauge as to how much of one he was. And how long in between intervals Hux could go without touching Kylo before he had another vision. He might not be able to control his feelings and his sensitivity to everything his hands now could touch without resulting visions, but Kylo was determined to get him there. Slowly but surely. 

Things at work, once the group had talked things over and had left Kylo’s place, had shifted. Now, instead of Hux having to shadow Matt for a month, and working with Kylo on defense, etc in the evenings, Hux was working with Kylo around the clock for however long it took to get his abilities under control. Every day, from sunup to well past seven in the evening. He hardly saw the others anymore, with good reason. Kylo took Hux’s affliction seriously, and was very determined to get him proficient in his gifts. Right now, Hux was a vulnerability that the group understood, but really couldn’t deal with and function on full capacity. So Hux’s training schedule had been modified as a special case.

Hux would eventually learn from the others, but for right now, he was mostly Kylo’s apprentice barring the fact that he was not living with the Alpha or doing his dirty work for him. Hux was still allowed to have lunch with Techie and Matt but otherwise Kylo was with him at all times except to use the bathroom. Even when Hux had breaks, Kylo stuck to him like glue, always keeping eye on him. 

It should have been rather annoying. Hux was a very independent person, and having someone around all the time during the day should have made him feel shackled, caged in. Dependent. But, it didn’t. It hadn’t.

It could have been due to Hux feeling more fond of the other male. Or it could have just been because Hux really wanted to get this pesky issue with his powers under control. Regardless of all that, Hux looked forward to seeing that dark haired, mole and freckled, reckless man every morning, rain or shine. Something deep inside his heart was forming, and Hux was powerless to stop it. Nor did he want to.

He still tried telling himself that it didn’t matter. That it wouldn’t matter if Kylo didn’t feel the same. 

Denial stung, but it was the best Hux could do for now.

The past week had been one exciting clusterfuck after another. Each day felt like they had a new mission, though most days Phasma and the others handled it if they could so Hux and Kylo could train uninterrupted. 

After bathing, drying himself off and combing his hair, Hux noted with an arched eyebrow that he would need to get it cut soon. It seemed to be growing faster than normal for some strange reason. Shrugging it off, Hux went to put the dirty towel in the hamper, making sure not to flinch at first touch. So far, this had been the longest he’d gone without touching Kylo and still not having a vision. A total of eleven hours had passed. Shivering, Hux rubbed the soft threads of the towel and briefly thought he shouldn’t push his luck. 

He looked at the small timer near the bedside nightstand and pressed on it to stop so he could don his gloves. 

As he dressed the rest of the way, Hux reflected a bit on a conversation he had with Kylo on Friday of the prior week. 

_“Why did it not happen when I first touched you… that one time? I touched you and then touched the railing….” Hux mused softly, shivering as he let his palms touch Kylo’s. They were sitting cross legged in the gym on a soft mat, Hux in front of Kylo and both having their hands up in front of them. Sometimes when they did this, Kylo had them meditate. Others, they just talked. Regardless, Kylo and Hux kept in tune with one another, matching their breathing if they could._

_“My guess is that was when it activated. There is a reason why I stay near hell’s gates, Hux. Where my home is…. Sometimes, I tend to accidentally cause people to do things. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s bad. In your case, when we aren’t arguing,” Kylo paused and smirked before continuing, “I calm you down so you can concentrate on a wild ability that has plagued you since you were born. With Phasma, I increase her luck with her diamond sales. Every time I show up at her shop, she makes a big sale, and gets hordes of people to come in when it had been dead otherwise in her shop the whole day. With Poe, he heals faster when I am around. Matt… he is more vocal and outgoing and with Techie… with Techie I cause him to be less jittery and more focused, less shy.”_

_“You say you can affect people in good or bad ways… what happens when it’s bad?” Hux asked, curious as he looked into Kylo’s dark eyes._

_A dark and injured emotion swirled over his eyes before Kylo blinked and it was gone. He said softly, “When it’s bad, it’s off the charts. I drive the people I care about away. They betray each other. Betray me.” Suddenly anger flashed in his eyes and Ren said fiercely, “I know it’s not my fault that it happens. But, when it does, I can’t help feeling, what would it be like if they never even met me?”_

Later on, Kylo had admitted that once he started being a hunter, he had been also searching for more answers. He’d always thought that he was some child that had been possessed by a demon and his soul hadn’t been devoured just yet regardless of his grandfather’s legacy. It wasn’t until later that he understood that that couldn’t be. No matter how much salt bullets or ash he had handled in his hands over the years, nothing dislodged a demon. No black smoke rose from his pores. So, in a sense, Kylo was like him, still searching for answers to a puzzle they might never solve.

Heading out the door after breakfast, noting that both Matt and Techie where on a case so they weren’t home, Hux rolled his eyes when he spotted Kylo leaning up against his car, looking like something good enough to eat. Black leather covered most of his frame this time, thick, black army boots laced up and caressing his calves like a lover. Complete with a black jacket, aviator sunglasses, and a new silver and black lip piercing, Kylo definitely packed an impression. 

“You really have to always make an entrance, don’t you?” Hux asked in exasperation, heading down the steps of the safehouse to the parking courtyard. At Kylo’s answering evil grin, Hux snorted and added, “Do you even own a car?”

“You know I do,” Kylo said, oozing himself into the passenger seat like he knew he looked like sex on a fucking stick. Hux caught himself admiring the way the leather pulled at places on Kylo’s legs and groin area and mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to let his infatuation get the better of him.

Kylo flashed him another wicked smile and asked nonchalantly, “Like what you see?”

Hux flushed and pulled out of the parking lot in a jolting and nauseating spin in answer, opting to use manual this morning. 

Kylo’s soft chuckles were muffled by the sound of the engine, but Hux could still hear him. “More like I feel a bit under dressed. I thought we had training today.” And he did feel underdressed in his black gym clothes, green jacket, and sneakers.

“We do, but how would you like a little detour first? We got a lead on a pack of rogue Werewolves nearby and though we have been explicitly instructed not to engage them at all, the group would like us to check out a club.” When Hux all out glowered at him, the Alpha said, “Hey now, place is closed. Has been for some time. We are just checking the building over for now and head to headquarters for training.”

 _Sure we will_ , Hux thought with a deep sigh, pulling out onto the main road.

“I am being serious, Hux. If there is one person I do not ever want to piss off in my entire life, is Phasma. She is one scary person when she decides to go on a rampage,” Kylo insisted and Hux believed him in that regard. Though he still had yet to see the woman in that sort of situation, he wasn’t looking forward to the day if and when he pissed her off.

“Very well then. Directions, please,” Hux instructed, turning the heat up a bit in the car. The Denver weather was changing, and he sensed that snow was on the way. Maybe not tomorrow, but perhaps later on in the week they would have some snow. It was now the beginning of October, and Hux knew that winter was just a matter of time showing up, though this year fall had been unseasonably warm so far. 

“That still doesn’t explain why you are dressed to impress,” Hux said after Kylo plugged in the gps on his phone and started it up. After what had happened a few weeks prior, he had respected the personal space of Hux’s car. He hadn’t touched anything he had not gotten permission for and Hux had to admit, he was impressed. 

Kylo smirked a bit knowingly, before he sobered and shrugged, saying simply, “Just felt like it.”

Once they arrived at the club, Hux sighed softly and got out of the vehicle, sniffing the air a bit curiously in spite of his irritableness. Kylo got out of the car and gently shut the door, his body nonchalant, even though Hux knew that it all was a facade. Coming around the side of the car to join Kylo, he surveyed the building himself, noting that it felt a bit creepy, but otherwise looked like a normal dingy nightclub with its utterly not so subtle neon sign blaring “Wolf Den”.

Kylo asked softly, “What do you think?”

Scowling a bit and shrewdly looking at the windows and other areas, including the parking lot. “Looks empty, but I sincerely doubt that it is. It’s almost as if someone or something is watching us. I am not sure if it’s from our surroundings, hidden from our view, but I don’t like the feel of it.”

“Mmmm, yea,” Kylo nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s move around back and trace the perimeter, but don’t approach within twenty feet at least. Werewolves are trouble enough as it is with their damned mood swings, but Rogue ones are worse. We don’t want to end up pissing them off.”

“Duly noted,” Hux affirmed, making sure his hands were out in the open and not in his pockets as he parted ways with Kylo, heading around to the left side of the building. Ren stayed for a moment at the car before he, too, started surveying the other side of the club.

 _You’d think they’d be less subtle,_ Hux mused as he passed by the tall sign hanging off the large old red brick building. The place was located not far from the Northern ghetto of Denver, and Hux nearly gagged at the smell of decay, rotted meat, and wet dog. Seriously, did Werewolves not bathe by nature? Hux wasn’t so sure if he wanted to find out.

Kylo seemed to be genuine in just wanting to take a look around, so Hux followed his example by doing the same. He took note of every detail, even if he didn’t write it down anywhere. Old windows were hexed by thick iron bars on the first floor, but the second floor was windowless. Hux could see some bricks cracked in places, but otherwise the building looked old, but sound. Carefully avoiding stepping on a broken Guinness bottle, Hux was almost completely around back when he heard a growl coming from behind him. Before he could turn and evade a collision, he was slammed face first into the ground, barely able to keep his nose from cracking on the dirty pavement. He struggled for one long few seconds before the creature atop him huffed and whined, a wet nose tickling at the back of his neck.

He was being scented. Hux forced himself to breathe in and relaxed, panic replaced by exasperation. “Are you kriffing kidding me?” Hux hissed as he craned his head around to look at the hellhound pinning him to the ground.

However, his mood turned back to panicked when he noticed the huge slash covering nearly all of Kylo’s left shoulder. How in Hell’s outhouse had that happened with no noise? Hux had heard nothing before he had been squashed. “Ren….” He breathed, “Your shoulder….”

The hellhound blinked slowly and braced himself as a huge beast suddenly slammed into his side, trying to pry him off of Hux. Hux let out a gasp as Kylo was thrown across the deserted parking area and into a wall of the club. Shit! Hux pulled out his pistol, thanking heaven that he’d loaded it with silver bullets the night before. Though the silver wouldn’t kill a Werewolf from what Kylo had told him in one of their lessons, it could slow one down. He raised his pistol and aimed as hellhound and Werewolf started a fight, Kylo barely dazed by his ass being momentarily whooped. Both creatures circled one another before Kylo attacked, causing a tackle of fierce battle of wills, claws, and fangs.

Fur was ripped everywhere and every once in a while Hux would hear growls, snarls, and yelps. Finally Kylo let out a bellow that was so loud, it nearly made Hux drop his pistol. It stunned the Werewolf long enough for Hux to get a few shots in, hitting the creature in the shoulder and lower back. 

The distraction proved effective as Kylo went in for the kill, or this case, the maim. He grabbed the Werewolf by the throat and flung the beast into the wall. Before the creature got back up again, Hux shot him a few more times, letting out a curse when Kylo yelped. Hux turned and nearly got his arm ripped off as another Werewolf showed up, tackling Hux to the ground. Before Hux could shoot the beast or even try to defend himself the beast tossed away the gun. Hux grappled with the creature for another minute, trying to keep it from snapping his neck into two. Managing to get one hand free, Hux pulled out his twin gun and shot the Werewolf in the chest, causing it to yelp and fall off of him.

Hux scrambled away from the black and brown creature, shivering a bit. He managed to get to his other gun and retrieve it. Getting back up, he started looking around for Ren. Seeing a trail of blood leading away from the parking lot and heading back towards the alley, Hux took off in a run, trying to look for Ren as well as getting away from danger as fast as he could. He didn’t have to run far, finding Kylo, now human, standing in front of an injured Werewolf, a gun pointed at the creature’s head. 

Gasping, Hux noted with concern that Kylo was covered with gashes all over his shoulder, face, and torso. His leg was almost at an odd angle and Hux quickly got to his side. 

“I am not going to ask you again, Peavey. Why did you attack us? We haven’t broken any of your furry laws! We are on your side, hunting for the Rogue Werewolves, just like you are,” Kylo rumbled, his voice thick with Alpha threat and warning. 

_They must have gotten the same leads as we had, which makes sense if we are on the same side. However, the fact that the creatures attacked us, doesn’t make sense. Why try to impend our investigation?_ Hux thought, looking around to note that there was no sign of the other Werewolf that had tried to make a lunch out of his throat. Curious.

The Werewolf, or Peavey, scowled up at Kylo, but stayed silent. 

“Gentlemen, there is no need to quarrel at a time like this,” Came a smooth and very familiar voice from in front of them and behind the Werewolf. 

Hux openly gaped when he spotted someone he had hoped he’d never see ever again. 

“Agent Peavey and Thanisson were just following a lead. Nothing more. This is just a simple misunderstanding,” FBI Director Organa-Solo stated calmly, her heels clicking on the pavement as she came to stand near the transforming Werewolf. 

Kylo growled softly and shot out, “Not a threat? Both attacked us without provocation. We were surveying the area and had no warning to defend ourselves. We could have been killed.” Though Kylo lowered his weapon, he didn’t relax one muscle, and Hux could barely blame him one bit.

“I assure you, it was a mistake and will not happen again,” Organa-Solo stated with a steely, cold glint in her eyes. She then turned and hollered over her shoulder, “Thanisson, stand down. They are not to be harmed, nor are they threats.”

The second Werewolf that Hux had been keeping an eye out for came over, disheveled, wounded, but otherwise whole. Hux felt it was a pity silver bullets only did so much. “Let me make it up to you, Ben. They can help you out with the Rogue Werewolves.”

“It’s Agent Kylo Ren to you, Director. Since when did the FBI hire Werewolves to do their dirty work?” Kylo asked, ignoring the offer. “Not that I am biased, but I am just curious. How did you manage to get them on one of your teams? They are exclusive and don’t like humans on a good day.”

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Ben.” At Kylo’s dark look, Leia amended, “Alright, Kylo. The FBI cut them a deal if you must know. The pact will only last until the Rogue Werewolves have been stopped.” She then leveled Hux with an arched brow, “Poaching castoffs, Kylo? I thought your organization was better than that.”

“Good to see you too MADAM Director,” Hux gritted out, wanting nothing more than to throw something at his former employer.

“Jealous? Poaching? That’s rich, coming from you,” Kylo growled out, before he glanced over Hux as if to see if he was ok. It almost made Hux smile that Kylo would want to make sure he was fine even though the dark haired Alpha looked like he was the one that needed medical attention. Kylo turned around to say something and Peavey suddenly pulled a gun. Before Hux could react, Kylo was shot in the chest.

Time seemed to slow down. Hux regardless didn’t think, he just acted. Within split, precious seconds, Hux had caught Kylo as he fell and teleported them both out of there, leaving Organa-Solo to deal with her precious employees. Hux didn’t have time to think or care about the fact that the woman might be in danger. Nothing else mattered now. All that mattered was Kylo.

Time stopped for a long second, and then Hux and Kylo popped into the emergency room of the hospital closest to the safe haven. “Help me! He’s been shot!” Hux cried out, scaring personnel, doctors, and nurses in his sudden appearance. 

“Where did you come from?” A nurse gasped out.

“Does it bloody matter, bitch? No? Good. Now get my partner help or I will rip out your eyes, do I make myself perfectly clear?” Hux snarled out, his eyes flickering to blue and his fangs lengthening. Kylo moaned weakly in his arms and Hux nearly bit a doctor as the man came to try and pry his hands away from the wounded Alpha.

They weren’t going to take him away from him. Not now.

Vaguely Hux could hear voices, but he ignored them, until one voice came above them all, “Oh shit! Hux! Kylo, Jesus! What happened?” 

Poe. Thank God. Hux growled when another doctor tried to pull him away from Kylo. But then there was Poe, “Easy man, don’t go berzerk Alpha on me. We need to take care of Kylo and patch him up, good as new. But we can’t do that without you holding onto him like a leech.”

When Hux snarled again, Poe nodded. “Yea ok. We can work around this. Follow me.”

Hux promptly picked Kylo up, ignoring the gasps around him at the act. Adrenaline or instinct, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Kylo was healed. There was too much blood. It made Hux want to curl around the other Alpha and lick his wounds until they healed. But, the rational part of him, the one hanging on a thread, forced his body to move to follow Poe down the hall.

He had forgotten Poe worked as a part time Doctor here when he wasn’t at the SPCIS. 

He was relieved. 

Minutes later, when he gently placed Kylo on a long operating table, Hux allowed the doctors and nurses to examine him, but only just. His hands stayed on Kylo’s shoulders protectively, and he hovered for a long time as they stripped the wounded Alpha carefully, assessing the damage. “Buddy, he’s going to be ok, but I gotta know what happened so I can tell the rest of the gang. Can you tell me anything? Do you understand anything in this Alpha crazy-poo stage?”

Hux rumbled as a nurse got too close to one of his hands, but then he answered Poe icily, “Werewolf. Rogue. Attacked us. FBI recruited.”

“Shit,” Poe breathed, and then he nodded to one of the doctors. “Ok, he is going to need blood and a bath of wolfsbane extract.”

“What?” One nurse asked in confusion. “But that’s poisonous.”

“You bet it’s poisonous, but it just so happens to be the only antidote that can save him. Make sure he doesn’t ingest any,” Poe ordered before he washed his hands and arms, pausing to pull his cell out to send a mass text to the others. He again washed his hands and arms before donning more gloves, heading back over to talk to Hux.

“Look, I know you wanna still be all protective. I get it. I really do, but I need you to let go for one second so I can get the rest of his clothes off. You can grab onto his hand or something like that. Ok, buddy?” Poe asked soothingly, and Hux licked his lips, growling when another nurse got too close to him for comfort. 

“It’s ok, Hux. Take my hand,” Kylo rasped, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. “They - they gotta do this.”

For a few painful seconds Hux didn’t obey, but then he released Kylo’s shoulders and took up the Alpha’s hand into his, trembling as shock started taking over.

“You did good, _Gingersnap_. You got us both here so fast,” Kylo rasped with a small smile before he promptly passed out.

Hux’s vision narrowed into a thin line, and he whined brokenly.

_Kylo….._

### 

“Seriously, Hux. I am fine,” Kylo said softly as he looked over the exhausted looking ginger. “Did you even get any sleep last night?”

After Hux had finally calmed down enough to put the whole “Protective Alpha” persona away, he had felt mortified. Exhausted, embarrassed, and even a little bit miffed at himself. He still couldn’t believe he had done that. Had let paranoia and fear taken over his actions. Kylo seemed to be taking it in stride, now that he had his biggest wounds mostly healed up. Healers were rare, but Poe had connections, and one had come straight away to assist. In fact, if Hux wasn’t so caught up in being embarrassed and ashamed at himself, he probably would have blushed and felt sort of flattered that Kylo seemed to LIKE Hux going all Alpha and protective around him. As it was, Hux was now feeling not just out of sorts, along with being relieved, he was also feeling trepidation. He had left with Kylo - that could be excused since Kylo had been gravely injured. But, he had also teleported into the middle of an EMERGENCY room, packed with non paranormal learned personnel.

Hux hadn’t been able to sleep, even after Kylo had been given some orange jello that he not only had grimaced at, but also complained loudly that hospital shit still tasted like shit. Kylo’s normal moodiness signaled that he was getting better. The last forty eight hours though had been pretty tense. Even after Kylo had been seen to by the healer, Hux still hadn’t left his side. Poe had to pry him up after a straight twenty four hours of holding Kylo’s hand, just to use the restroom and freshen up. Eating something had been out of the question. He’d barely managed to keep down a cup of hot coffee.

And even after that short break, Hux had come back and sat down to take up Kylo’s hand again. The other members of the SPCIS came by to see how the both of them were doing, and Techie even brought Kylo a small Vader dressed teddy bear with a box of smuggled chocolate chip cookies. For Hux, Techie had merely given him a big hug, along with another cup of coffee. Hux had been thankful for that. Techie knew him better than he knew himself. 

Sometimes Hux just needed things to be ok. So, seeing Kylo feeling better and quick on the mend helped. Because the healer had done such a good job on Kylo, he was going to be released that afternoon if everything worked out ok. However, he would not be able to return to being on duty at the SPCIS until the following Monday at the earliest. Kylo, of course, hadn’t liked that, but it wasn’t like he had an option when every member of the SPCIS had voted against his wishes. 

“A bit,” Hux replied softly, rubbing his face a bit and grimacing. He really did need a kriffing shower. His body was starting to smell bad. 

“Go on, take a shower. You’ve got about ten minutes before the next nurse comes in to check on me. I think Techie had Matt bring you your overnight duffel, so you have soap and stuff, probably even a change of clothes. I cannot tell you how much I am going to fucking cry when I am finally able to put on my own clothes! The hospital gowns are terribly itchy!” Kylo complained, looking around for his remote for the TV.

Hux sighed and woodenly stood, wincing as he heard all sorts of bones and joints creak and pop at the act. Kylo grew silent and watched him head into the bathroom, a bit of a worried look on his face. Hux knew why, of course. How could he not? He wasn’t sure if he’d be back to his old self again anytime soon. Yes, he knew that being in the line of fire in any job position was going to be dangerous. But, he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Especially since he was starting to care even more about his coworker. Kriff, in Alpha mode, he had called Ren his _partner_. 

Some people might look at it as him just being protective over his coworker partner. But, everyone who knew him, or had grown closer to him in the past month or so knew better. Hux closed the door behind him and stripped, shivering a bit as he did so. He felt so numb, so _raw_. The hot water felt good on his skin as he stepped into the shower. His hands ran along the sides of the tiles of the shower and sighed at the smooth feeling under his fingertips. The feeling of anything besides his own skin or the inside of his gloves still felt odd, and intense. He had Ren to thank for that, of course. He just wished for one full week that nothing happened so they could train uninterrupted. Hux felt the world closing in on him and he shivered, despite the heat of the shower spray. Numbly he bathed himself and went to turn off the water and paused. After a few seconds, Hux changed his mind and turned the hot water to as hot as it would go, needing to clear his head somehow. 

He was so cold. 

Kylo. Ren… he could have lost him.

He felt so conflicted. 

Despite Hux having his decision earlier the week prior to just allow things to progress without him jumping head first into a relationship, he yearned for it. So badly. He yearned to be touched, to be held, to be understood. And most of all, he wanted to be loved. Loved by Ren. He knew he had fallen completely for Ren. He just hadn’t realized just how fast and how far he had done so in such a short amount of time. Some people said that sometimes it was like that. Especially between soul mates.

Was Kylo his soul mate? If so, who in the kriff had he pissed off in his prior life because Jesus, the Alpha was a mess.

An adorable, imperfect mess.

Somehow, some way, Ren had penetrated his heart in a way that Hux hadn’t felt before. Even when he had had past boyfriends, he’d never let them get so close to him. At least not close enough for him to feel so protective, so needy over them. 

“Hux, you ok?” Kylo rumbled just outside the bathroom. 

_No, but it doesn’t matter, does it?_ Hux thought, feeling angst race through him like a whirlwind. 

He wasn’t like this normally. He might be pessimistic, but he wasn’t like some pathetic hormone driven teenager. Usually. Hux was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn’t hear the door to the bathroom open. Nor did he hear the shower curtain being pulled back. However, when strong, but bandaged arms encircled his chest, pulling him back from the shower head, Hux gasped.

He turned around in Kylo’s arms, feeling the fog of despair lift temporarily. “What are you doing in here, Ren? Your bandages….”

“Fuck them. You didn’t answer me if you were ok,” Kylo explained, pulling the ginger closer in his arms. For a long moment Hux stayed rigid, warring with himself.

Until finally, his hands went up to grip and Kylo’s hair, the strands getting wet in the humid spray of the shower. He looked into Kylo’s eyes and let out a pathetic, needy whine. “No, I am not ok, Ren. I could have lost you! _I could have **lost** you._”

“But you didn’t. That’s all that matters, isn’t it?” Kylo said softly, his eyes growing more worried and somber. Though Kylo was hesitant, he reached up and pushed some of Hux’s wet hair away from his face. Hux leaned into the touch, feeling as if an electric bolt had ran through the tip of Kylo’s fingers.

He had never felt so much heartache, so full of want, and so bloody aroused in his life.

“I can’t lose you. I _can’t_.” Hux breathed, shivering as Kylo’s hand came to caress his cheek. 

The water did nothing to dampen the scent of arousal wafting from Kylo’s body. The big brute still was having problems covering his scent, but Hux couldn’t be more content with its presence. It allowed him to discern that this was accepted, that Kylo still wanted him. Still found him attractive. Before denial and doubt could raise its ugly head, Kylo whispered softly, leaning a bit so that their lips were so painfully close, “You won’t. I’m not going anywhere.”

Hux almost snapped then. Later, he would puzzle in why he didn’t. Perhaps he was stronger than he looked. Regardless, Kylo did. And Hux couldn’t have been more thankful of him for that. Kylo’s lips on his felt wonderful, they were soft, a bit chapped, but more silken due to the water dampening them. Hux loved them. He let out a wrecked growl and full on gave Kylo access to his mouth, and his soul. The answering growl of the other Alpha sent shivers down his spine. And suddenly the water was too hot, and he was too much on fire, and he tugged Kylo’s head down further so he could taste his essence. 

Wet, hot, _cavernous._ Ren’s mouth tasted like everything Hux yearned for. Passion, desire, intense need, along with the faint hint of mint toothpaste from earlier. Drinking it in, Hux’s tongue danced with Kylo’s in a dual the both of them could not lose or tame. Kylo let out another growl, and suddenly Hux found himself pressed up against the shower wall, his mouth being plundered fiercely. The kisses were so intense and fierce that their teeth clacked against one another’s. It wasn’t until Hux tasted blood on his tongue that he realized that he’d sliced his tongue on one of Kylo’s elongated canines.

That was the proof Hux needed to know. With a possessive growl ripping through his chest, Hux wrapped his hands around Kylo’s nape, dragging him closer for more biting kisses. He hardly realized that he was almost straddling Kylo’s hips when a knock sounded at the door.

“Um, guys, I talked to the head doc and well, he said it’s ok to release Kylo now so um… yea, _wow_ … Just… um… get decent soon? I’ll come back in five,” Poe’s awkward voice filtered through the door and Kylo finished giving Hux the most mind-blowing kiss he’d ever had in his life, before pulling away reluctantly.

Hux breathed in several gasps, realizing that perhaps air would be good for his lungs. His eyes met Kylo’s amused, but highly intense dark ones and he all but tackled the other Alpha in for another kiss. Kylo let out a rumbling chuckle, but allowed the shorter, but no less intense makeout session. Their tongues danced a bit more before Kylo pulled away, lightly nipping Hux’s lower lip in a promise for later.

Hux relaxed a bit more and let his legs fall a bit so he could straighten himself. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

“You are telling _me_. I thought I’d never get to kiss you after the stunt with the fucking car!” Kylo said a bit sheepishly. “I normally don’t show off like that, making a total fool of myself. But, something about you makes me so fucking wild and nervous.”

“Wild and nervous….” Hux mused with a teasing smirk, causing Kylo to roll his eyes in mock annoyance.

“Come on, _princess_ , let’s get out of here and get dressed. I don’t fancy Poe getting Phasma to come in to get us moving,” Kylo said with a grimace.

“Keep calling me names like that and I’ll not kiss you again,” Hux said, but mentally shuddered at the image of Phasma of all people catching them like this.

The two were mostly dried, dressed and ready to go in record time, Hux trying to keep his eyes from ogling too much. However, he so didn’t mind it when he caught Kylo staring at his crotch as he put his black silk briefs on. Kylo had flushed scarlet and had quickly made quick work of his own clothes. 

If Hux didn’t know any better, he’d think Kylo was a total virgin. Even if he was, Hux didn’t mind that thought. If he wasn’t, that was fine too. The both of them had their own pasts and their own lives before they had met. The past didn’t matter. What mattered was now and the future.

### 

That evening, once Kylo was settled in his castle, under “castle” arrest, Hux woodenly came back to the safehouse to pick up a few changes of clothing. Techie had taken one look at him packing and said simply, “We’ll be here if you need us.”

“Thank you, Techie. I just need answers. Plus, it’s the least I could do after using one of my powers inside a crowded emergency room. I am sure Phasma will be less than thrilled if she has to -” Hux was broken off by Techie shaking his head no.

“Be in denial all you want, but one of these days it’s going to bite you in the ass. You love him, Armie. I know you do. Of course you want to keep an eye on him. And he loves you, too by the way. You’ll see in time, I am sure of it,” Techie said, coming up to give his brother a comforting hug. Hux breathed in Techie’s Omega calming scent and let out a deep breath in a whoosh. Techie added, “And you saved his LIFE. As for Phasma, she didn’t have to worry about that sort of thing. The only reason why Poe even works at that hospital is because it is one of the few places that care about people like us. They treat everybody.”

Hux fully relaxed then. Techie pulled away and wrinkled his nose impishly. “So, see? You can stop being all depressed. I know what happened to Kylo was bad, but stop beating yourself up over it. He’s going to be fine.”

“I just can’t lose him, Techie,” Hux said, almost helplessly.

“You won’t!” Techie regarded him with understanding, yet sad eyes before he perked up. “I started learning cards the other day. Tarot. I could look at your future if you want? I don’t know if I’ll get it right, but I can try?”

“No, that’s ok. I am just feeling moody,” Hux admitted with a small smile. Techie was right, he shouldn’t feel so depressed. Kylo would be alright soon enough. “It’s just hard not to despair when it’s easier to be afraid of everything than fully live.” 

“Ain’t that the truth!” Techie exclaimed, before reaching out to rub his brother’s shoulders a bit. 

“I’d best go. I have a moody Alpha I need to guard,” Hux said with a snort of mirth. 

Techie giggled and nodded. “Ok, Armie. Like I said before, if you need anything, you can text us or call us.”

### 

One thing Hux learned about Kylo was that he was a horrible, horrible invalid. He hated being ill, hated being cooped up and not being able to do much. He was almost worse than Techie right before his heat when all he wanted was french fries dipped in Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty’s. And that was _BAD_. 

Hux got to learn his way around the castle, with all it’s hideaways, secret passages, attics, belfries, dungeons, and catacombs during his stay there. The castle was immense, and though Hux was wary of its moods, he ceased to be two days after his stay. Kylo was currently trying to go outside for a “jog” and Hux wasn’t impressed by his attempt to escape. Hux had chased after him, intending to stop him before he got outside, and even hollered his name for a tongue lashing that was filled with barbs when Kylo suddenly bounced off a barrier right near the door. At first, Hux thought that Phasma or one of the other members of the SPCIS had put a spell here to prevent Kylo from leaving, but then the Alpha had looked stunned up at the door and tried again, with no success.

“Awww, come on! I just want to go for a fucking _jog!_ ” Kylo had complained, throwing his hands up in the air like some over-dramatic teenager.

Silence.

Kylo huffed and tried again, this time going towards a side entrance. This time Hux knew it was the castle doing this, for it automatically rearranged itself in front of the ginger’s eyes to create a circular room with the exit gone. Kylo had then roared out his frustration, “I am going _MAD HERE! LET ME OUT YOU PIECE OF BOULDER SHIT! I **OWN** YOUR ASS!”_

Suddenly Kylo was unceremoniously shoved by an unseen force towards Hux. Hux had to brace himself for impact and was glad he had. Kylo was rammed into him, but he was able to hold onto the moody Alpha to keep from falling. The silence ensued was deafening. It almost felt like the castle was sulking. 

“Tell the castle you are sorry and stop being a moody jackass before I throw you in one of your own dungeons with the castle’s help!” Hux growled with full threat and annoyance. He was kind of bluffing, since he wasn’t sure if the castle, in fact, could actually throw Kylo into the dungeons, but at this point, he couldn’t care less.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Kylo cried out, turning to look at him with a panicked expression on his face. Apparently, when Kylo was stressed out like this, he forgot that he could detect a lie or falsity a mile away, Hux assumed. Using that to his advantage, Hux commented in a deadly calm voice, “Do you want to find out?”

“Not really, no.” 

“Then do as I said so we can go back to our game of chess.”

“I am tired of chess!”

“Then we can pull up a videogame or a movie. Either way it goes, you can deal with this like an adult, or I can always tie you down so you are forced to!”

Kylo’s eyebrows shot up and then he flashed a wicked, smug grin. Hux suddenly realized what he’d just said and flushed. _“NOT LIKE THAT YOU PERVERTED ASSHOLE!”_

Kylo started laughing and his mirth was infectious though Hux tried not to join in. 

Later, Kylo did end up apologizing to the castle, and chilling out more.

### 

Hux was practicing some defense moves while Kylo was stretching out on a large gym floor in the basement of the castle near the dungeons. Kylo had insisted that since Hux was going to have to stay with him, then he should be able to continue his training. And Hux had admitted that Poe had suggested Kylo do some exercises - light ones - for at least a few days until his wounds completely healed. So, they both were down in the gym when Hux finally got a chance to ask Kylo something that had been nagging at him for a while now.

“Ren, can I ask you a personal question?” Hux asked softly, doing a high leg kick and punch maneuver in the air.

Kylo plopped down onto his ass and started stretching his legs and abdomen, saying, “Yea, sure.”

“Why in the kriff did my former employer call you Ben before you got shot?” Hux stopped moving and looked at Kylo to see how he reacted. “Not that it’s any of my business, how you know the Director, but I couldn’t help but wonder why she called you Ben at first.”

Kylo seemed to freeze for a long moment in his stretches, and Hux knew he’d hit a nerve. Hux was about to say that it was alright if Kylo didn’t want to bare that secret, but then the other Alpha just shrugged and said softly, “That was my name once. Not anymore.”

Hux came over to sit down next to Kylo and started stretching out to cool down a bit. “Want to talk about it? Techie says that when I am not being an asshole, I am a good listener.”

Kylo snorted at that, but then he sighed deeply. He caught Hux’s eyes and held them for one long moment, and the ginger saw deep rooted pain and anger for a time before Kylo admitted, “I probably should. But, I don’t want to right now.”

“Ok.” Hux didn’t press, knowing that skeletons sometimes were best left in the closet. However, he did add after a moment of congenial silence, “Well, if you ever change your mind, I’m here.”

“Thank you,” Kylo mumbled before he started back up on his stretches as if nothing had happened, and the tension faded into easy silence.

The ginger Alpha watched him for a bit, before he got back up and padded over to a different mat where Kylo had pulled out some weaponry to show him. The mat below his bare feet felt good, even though it was probably more dirty than he’d like despite the castle being self cleaning. It had been a very long time since he’d enjoying feeling anything other than socks on his bare feet. 

Regardless of saving Ren’s life or no, Hux feeled that he definitely owed him for this luxury. It was so nice not having to wear gloves or socks at times when he didn’t feel like it. Granted, Hux was always a bit cold blooded so he liked wearing layers. But, some days it was pleasant having the option.

Flopping down near some guns, knives, and crossbows, Hux surveyed them with interest while Kylo finished up some light exercises. 

Once Kylo was finished and toweled himself off, he came over and sat down near Hux, reaching over for the first weapon. As his voice rumbled through explanations of what each weapon did, how to properly handle them, Hux listened intently. There were some days where he wished he had a photographic memory. But, at least he was a fast learner.

### 

Sunday morning had Hux getting ready to leave, despite sort of not wanting to. Kylo was now not under “castle” arrest, and the castle had so far that morning not come up with a fuss whenever Kylo wanted to go outside. Kylo huffed out a sigh and looked at him mournfully, like he was going to be leaving him forever. All throughout Kylo’s confinement, Hux had not once allowed his sexual needs to drive him, no matter how delicious Kylo looked or smelled. The night before had been the absolute worst, for Kylo had come down to dinner wearing nothing but a long pair of leather pants that hugged his legs and crotch area obscenely. He had given Hux the excuse that he wanted to show that he was fully healed and that there were just faint scars on some of the deeper cuts that the Werewolf had given him.

Hux had rolled his eyes so hard he feared they’d get stuck in the back of his head. Still, he had not been able to keep from looking over Kylo’s healed skin. All that soft, silken mole and freckle dotted skin covering lean muscles was definitely a sight to see. And he was able to fully see Kylo's tattoos on his biceps. Still, Hux had prevailed in not touching him at all, stating that he’d wanted to take things a bit slower due to having not been in a relationship for so long. He’d allowed Kylo one kiss the night before, and that had almost been their undoing, but he’d reigned himself back with difficulty. 

Kylo had seemed disappointed, but he had relented, apparently respecting Hux’s boundaries.

Now, however, Hux almost wished he would have tackled the man to the floor and had his mad way with him. At this point, Hux couldn’t care less what society thought about having two male Alphas as a couple. It was a rare occurrence, but not scorned for the most part at least. Still, some people feared what they didn’t understand. 

It didn’t matter to Hux. However, he was sort of curious as to see who would top first. He liked both ways, of which had thrilled and astonished some of his prior lovers. If Ren wanted to dominate or be dominated, Hux found both options highly arousing. 

He pulled Kylo into his arms and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning in to press his forehead to the slightly taller man’s. “You stay safe and don’t overdo it. You hear me?”

“Yes, dear,” Kylo teased lightly, but then drew Hux in for a kiss.

A few erotic torture filled moments later, Hux withdrew and whispered against Kylo’s lips, “I’ll see you tomorrow. If anything happens….”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Kylo said somberly, and Hux had to turn away to keep himself from tackling the other man. 

Despite his intentions in wanting to go at a slower pace, his body sure as hell didn’t know the meaning of the word. He was rock hard by the time he hopped into Techie’s Bug. Techie flashed him a knowing smirk and then waved at Kylo before heading out the gate. Hux refrained from looking in his side view mirror at Kylo and Techie noted it with a small huff.

“Love can be pretty fucking shitty sometimes, am I right?” Techie said with a knowing look.

“Yea, but it has its moments,” Hux admitted.

Techie snorted and spat out, “I dunno, Armie. Some nights, like last night I totally wonder if I’d just be happier having a dildo knotting up my ass instead of an Alpha.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at that snippy comment and then realized just why Techie was moody. Sniffing covertly in his brother’s direction, he softened and reached over to rub the hormonal Omega on the shoulder. “Want to go by Wendy’s?”

“Oh my god, I love you, Armie!” Techie beamed, speeding down the street in a better frame of mind.

Hux sighed deeply. Pre-heat moodiness was very common when it came to Techie. Matt was a devoted Alpha that would do anything for Techie. But, sometimes his clingy nature bugged the crap out of Techie right before heat season. Hux thought for a moment and then arched a brow. “Techie, you are kind of early to be having pre-heat stress. Is everything alright?”

“No, nothing’s alright. I feel like shit and achy all over, I don’t want to do much, and sometimes I am so horny I want to fuck anything in sight, but at other times I just want to scream!” Techie complained, his normal happy face drawn in a pout. 

_So basically normal pre-heat stress. Nothing different besides being early this year_ , Hux mused before he squeezed his Omega brother’s shoulder gently in comfort. “Well once we get some chocolate and salt in you, and if you still feel like shit, we can order pizza and binge watch American Horror Story Season 8, whether Matt wants to or not.”

“Now, you are talking Armie!” Techie went back to smiles, mood salvaged.


	7. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's what y'all been waiting for. Incoming smutstation. You're all welcome my dears. :)

### Chapter 7: Heat

_One week later….._

“Techie, what’s wrong?” Hux heard Matt ask hesitantly, and his head snapped around to look at his brother and nearly got his face blown off by what sounded like a canon.

“Fucking Rogue Werewolf _asshats_! They just had to bring in a _bazooka_ , didn’t they?!” Kylo growled, plastered enough to Hux’s back that the ginger could literally feel the other Alpha’s rumble through his whole body. Alpha temper and growl aside, Hux quite agreed with Kylo’s ire.

The battle they were in the middle of had lasted more than an hour now, and Hux was starting to get pissy as well. 

Still, something was wrong with Techie. Matt wouldn’t be concerned otherwise, even under pre-heat stress the Alpha would be taking the mission seriously. Techie would have knocked his plow into the next century otherwise.

Suddenly Kylo stiffened against his back, and then he could smell it. The sweet, tantalizing scent of a receptive Omega going into heat. “Oh karking _hell_.” This just had to happen to them now. In the middle of a fucking feud between the Rogue Werewolves and the Vampire Alliance. 

What had been a simple mission to rescue a kidnapped pixie in the clutches of the Rogue Werewolves had landed the team right smack dab in the middle of a warzone. Hux was actually surprised and annoyed that none of the humans in the surrounding area were contacting the police. Granted, the police would probably be a hassle to deal with, and their cover would be blown, but it’d be nice to have backup. Perhaps Organa-Solo had something to do with it. Either way, this sucked big time. 

And now Techie was starting his heat season even earlier than expected. He had thought he’d had another couple of days before he had to take PTO and head with Matt to the safehouse to weather his heat out. Hux was even packed and ready to move in with Kylo for those few weeks so that his brother and mate could have their privacy. Millie was currently at the castle now, exploring every crook and cranny she could find. All Hux needed was some last minute things before piling up his Camaro and heading over that exact night.

Feeling a bit worried as Techie let out a soft whimper, Hux turned to look across the area at Matt, who was almost looking white as a sheet and feral. Christ, the Alpha was hanging on a thread. And with all of the bullets flying by, and occasional canon fire, Hux knew they all were going to go to hell in a handbasket if something didn’t give. Exchanging fire a few rounds with the Werewolves had Hux momentarily distracted, but then as he started reloading his guns, he caught the sight of Techie trying really hard not to present.

Even that was damning in of itself. Omegas couldn’t help their biology, and nor could Alphas or even Betas. Case in point, the man pressed up against his back was heating up, affected against his will. If it wasn’t for the fact that Hux was a blood relative to Techie, he probably would have started to feel the signs of rut as well. Instead, all he felt was the tension rise in the person he had begun to rely on for the past several weeks on the job. 

With Halloween just around the corner, the ley lines and bolt holes to the underworld and parallel worlds were thinning. It was a dangerous time of year, especially for Omegas preparing for heat. It just so happened that Techie was a few weeks early already and he was now even earlier than that. Hux didn’t have to look at Ren to know that the Alpha was having a hard time concentrating. Arousal on all parts was starting to filter in the air in thick droves. If they weren’t careful, both the vampires and the Werewolves would catch Techie’s scent. And then it would be all over for them.

Making a split second decision, Hux tapped his com, stating, “Abort. Abort mission now. Unless you guys are almost here, we need to get out of here.”

“What, why? Dude, we are almost there!” Poe’s voice filtered in.

“Well unless you are here in less than sixty seconds, then we are going to have a bigger problem on our hands. Techie just started his heat.” At Hux’s comment, Poe let out a curse.

“Is he ok?” Phasma asked through the com, concerned.

“Yes, but he won’t be if we keep up this battle much longer. Even Ren is affected. I don’t need to tell you how Matt is handling this,” Hux stated calmly, though his voice was grim.

Kylo let out a curse as he was clipped with buck shot. Hux hissed, but didn’t move much other than give the other man a small touch on his hip in askance. “I am ok. Just… something needs to give quick or this is going to go to shit.” Kylo snarled into his own com.

“Ok, do what you can and get to safety. Pull out now and retreat!” Phasma ordered.

Before Hux could even holler over at Matt, the man was already moving, reaching over to grab Techie and skirt down the alley to the nearest subway entrance. Hux just had to trust that Matt would take care of Techie. Kylo made to leave to go after them and Hux growled out, “Oh no you don’t! Matt is in full rut, are you crazy?”

Kylo let out a slow whine and then Hux smelled it. Shit. Kylo was going into full rut as well. “Oh my god, some days I really hate biology!” With a split second decision, Hux maneuvered to where he was front to back with the other Alpha. Before Kylo could snarl, Hux teleported them of the war zone.

### 

Hux breathed out softly, noting that somehow, someway, he had managed to teleport the both of them to the Fortress of Ren’s entryway. Adrenaline still pumping in his veins, he felt hardly any fatigue as he turned Kylo bodily around to kiss him. Kylo let out a growl and suddenly Hux found himself rammed into a wall so hard, the stone creaked behind his back. Hux pulled away from Kylo’s lips, catching the flashing red gaze with his eyes, feeling electricity run through his veins to pool down in his groin. Kylo was dangerous, wild looking, and almost feral now, but he was hanging on a thread of control. Hux respected that.

Still, he had precious little time before Kylo snapped into full rut, and then he’d either have his ass dominated or vice versa. Hux had to admit that he was impressed that Kylo was holding back still. With a keening, broken whine, Kylo hissed out, _“Hux….”_

That sound caused Hux to nearly moan aloud, his cock twitching in his pants. Arousal was thickening in the air surrounding them both and it was nearly driving Hux mad with want and need. On impulse, Hux reached up and tugged the slightly taller man’s head down and smashed their lips together in a brutal kiss, full of clacking teeth and fangs. Biting hard on Kylo’s lower lip, enough to draw blood, Hux suddenly growled and shoved Kylo away from him. With a snarl, Hux tried to get away, but Kylo was faster, reaching out to yank his wrist. Hux used it to his advantage and momentum, twisting around and kicking the other Alpha in the side so hard that it sent him flying.

Kylo fell hard on his side on the other side of the entry way, but was fast getting up, though stunned. Hux knew he would have to act quickly before he got himself dominated and knotted like an Omega. With a reverberating roar, challenging Kylo to a chase, Hux flashed his fangs and his eyes flared electric blue, making a rude gesture at the rut driven Alpha before simply teleporting to the second floor of the castle. As soon as he was out of the bolt hole, Hux hit the floor at a run, his legs carrying him as fast as he could go. 

Kylo might know this castle like the back of his hand, but Hux was fast and lithe. As he raced up another flight of stairs, he heard Kylo’s answering roar, the hellhound shifter’s bellow so chilly and loud that it nearly made Hux’s heart skip a beat. As it was, it shook the entire castle and Hux had to hand it to the other Alpha. He definitely knew how to terrify a person when he wanted to. Despite all that, Hux was not frightened. Instead, he felt the thrill of the chase, of the hunt, and he snickered as he continued running. Getting an idea, Hux ran his fingers and palms along the stone walls and random furniture he passed, leaving his scent all over the place to confuse Kylo and make the game last longer. He took several several breaths as he leaped over a banister and free fell over a stairwell, landing on his feet easily. Finally getting himself into a closet in an abandoned first floor room, Hux figured he’d scented several dead ends to buy himself some time.

Scrunching himself up to be as small as possible in the cramped space, Hux panted, feeling slightly winded. Calming himself a bit, he pulled out his phone to send Poe and the others a quick message. He doubted Techie or Matt would be in any condition whatsoever to send him any news of them being able to get away from the battle, but he figured that at least Poe would let him know should something be wrong. He quickly texted the message, stating what happened to himself and Kylo, where they currently were, and why. Hux wasn’t stupid enough to give anyone any details as to how he was handling a hellhound shifter Alpha almost in full rut stage, but he didn’t think they’d want to know anyways. Plus it was none of their business.

Poe and Phasma replied in affirmatives, also explaining quickly that they had received a message from Matt that they were safe, and Hux breathed out a sigh of relief. Phasma then sent another text stating that they had called another hunter organization for help as well as the FBI, so not to worry and to ‘have fun :) ‘. Hux rolled his eyes at that and turned his phone off completely, putting it away in his jacket pocket. Breathing in deeply, Hux listened for any sign of where Ren was currently. He knew he would have to move soon so he wouldn’t get caught, but for now, he rested.

While inside the closet, Hux finally heard Kylo running up the stairs near the wing he was currently at, his soft pants and low rumbles sending chills up and down the ginger’s spine. Knowing how this was going to probably end didn’t scare him one bit. Hux had been on edge ever since that first kiss, and even before then. Taking things slow now seemed pretty ridiculous and overrated.

Perhaps it was time to let his body have what it wanted, what it needed. _Kylo._ The thought of Kylo’s thick knot in his ass, and vice versa caused Hux to whimper softly, not being able to help his arousal. His already half hard cock tightened further in his jumpsuit uniform, straining against it and his pants. Hux reached down and palmed himself a bit, trying to keep it from getting worse but it was no use. Shivering, Hux figured that he’d give Kylo the thrill of the hunt and chase a bit longer before he encountered him next. Kylo would have to work for his prize.

Licking his lips, Hux hid in the closet for another minute before he carefully left his hiding place, ears tuned to every sound in the castle that he could. Kylo was now somewhere on the same level as himself, but Hux couldn’t quite pinpoint where. Hux wasn’t ready for the game to be over just yet. So, he headed out of the room via a secret passageway, nearly hissing out a curse as he stumbled on some stairs in the process. Bruised ankle aside, Hux was relieved that he hadn’t managed to injure himself any further. What a mood killer that would have been.

Hux got through the rest of the passageway relatively unscathed and got to the kitchen on the main floor, looking around carefully. Noting that Kylo was still a floor above him, he made quick work of scenting the entire kitchen space, lounge and bathroom with his hands before heading down a long row of stairs that lead into a back way of the dungeons. He padded silently through the area, shrugging off his jacket, suddenly feeling too warm. Hux placed it in an empty clean cell before he moved to the adjoining one, intent on scenting it a bit before leaving.

However, once he was inside the holding cell, all he could smell was Kylo’s scent and it nearly drove him mad. What in the kriff had Kylo done to this poor cell? It almost smelled like he had bathed in it recently. Not being able to help himself, Hux shamefully rubbed his whole body against one of the inner walls of the cell. Thankfully the castle cleansed itself down here too, otherwise he would have been even more mortified. 

Hux almost moaned aloud as he helplessly started rutting against the wall, his hard on fully erect and borderline painful. Fuck, this was getting out of hand, and fast. He shivered as suddenly he noted he was no longer alone. How long had Kylo been standing there watching him? Hux whimpered as hands crept around his hips, tugging him up against a piping hot body. Kylo ground his sizeable erection up against Hux’s lower back and the ginger Alpha let out a strangled moan. Kylo nuzzled the nape of his neck before littering it with kisses and nips. 

Hux was almost past the brink of any thought when Kylo finally murmured against the sensitive hair at his nape, his voice thick and husky, “Glad you like my scent so much. Had to jack off some precome in order to lure you to this cell. Fuck, you are gorgeous and your scent….just fuck….”

Hux hissed out a curse. _He’d been played._

He wasn’t sure what turned him on more, the fact that Kylo had managed to trick him, or the fact that he had jacked off on the wall right in front of him, precome splattered all over where he’d just been humping like some demented animal. 

The Alpha had to admit, Ren was a devious genius bastard when he wanted to be. Still, some semblance of control remained in Hux’s mind. Hux still wasn’t ready to be mounted just yet. He arched his back and ass, grinding his body up against Kylo’s, smirking when he heard the other Alpha let out a wrecked moan. Hux made sure his ass rubbed Kylo’s clothed erection just right before he promptly bucked him away hard.

He made a run for the iron prison door opening, ignoring the fact that he could probably teleport, and was caught before he made it. Kylo whipped Hux around and slammed him against the bars close to the cell door, and the ginger alpha winced at the feel of cold bars digging into the back of his spine and shoulder blades. Kylo pinned Hux’s wrists above his head, giving him hardly any room to move, much less escape. Hux bared his fangs and growled defiantly, trying half-heartedly to loosen Kylo’s hold. The other Alpha growled lowly and then whined, leaning in to try and nudge Hux’s chin to the side so he could get to his neck.

Hux went suddenly limp, letting out an answering playful croon. Body language spoke louder than words. So, when Kylo sensually rolled his hips against Hux’s, causing delicious friction, the ginger almost snapped. Kylo’s Alpha scent was slowly choking Hux’s rational thought. Still, he did not yield, his playful croon falling into a soft growl when Kylo again tried to nuzzle into his throat.

Hux gasped out softly, “Ren...Kylo…. Kriff, wait, goddamnit!”

Kylo whined reluctantly, but managed to reign himself in, pulling his head up to look into Hux’s blue eyes. “I-I need to know…. Have you done this before? Fucked or have been knotted by another man?” Hux breathed out, trying to calm his racing heart.

Kylo licked his lips, his fangs fully drawn and peaking out of his mouth. He swallowed and shook his head no with a look of uncertainty and shame. Releasing, Hux’s wrists, Kylo’s hands fell down to rest at the ginger Alpha’s hips. 

Hux crooned comfortingly and murmured soothingly, “It’s alright, Ren. We can work with this. Maybe this time… if you are open to it, I can lead?”

“Will you - will you let me mark you? Take you?” Kylo’s voice sounded small and unsure, making Hux’s heart ache.

“Kriff, if you don’t, I’ll be thoroughly disappointed in you,” Hux stated with a mock scowl, causing Kylo to swallow and nod with a shaky smile ghosting over his lips.

“So, I would suggest, before we get more mindless and rut fully sets in for the both of us, that we take this to the bedroom. Though at some point I want you to fuck me up against these bars.” Hux breathed, trying not to lose himself in Kylo’s increasingly mouthwatering scent just yet.

Kylo huffed an aroused chuckle and practically purred, “Ok.”

“Excellent,” Hux said and suddenly arched his body up against Kylo’s, his lips so close to the other Alpha’s. He whispered against those lips with full seductive intent, “I’m going to enjoy taking care of _you_.”

Giving Kylo a shark like grin, Hux teleported them both to the dark haired Alpha’s bedroom. The next several minutes went by in a haze, Kylo leaning in to capture Hux’s mouth over and over again. Heat, tongues dancing, and teeth nipping, biting, had Hux nearly go completely into the downward spiral of rut. He barely refrained - surprising himself, but only because of the fact that Kylo was new to this. So, painfully new, and Hux would rather die a painful death than ruin this experience for him. Hux ran his fingers through Kylo’s lush locks, shivering when the other Alpha’s hands cupped his ass, drawing them so close that only their clothing separated their skin.

Growling low in his throat, Hux nipped sharply at Kylo’s lower lip, drawing a moan out of his mouth as well as a trickle of blood. Breathing against Kylo’s lips, his heart nearly beating out of his chest, Hux couldn’t help but drown himself in the other Alpha’s scent, intense fiery heat, and desire. Pheromone drugged or no, Hux knew that in this moment he wanted to own, claim, and vice versa repeatedly and in several different positions. Yanking Kylo’s head down a bit, Hux half kissed, half bit his abused lower lip, pulling a soft, desperate whine from the other man. It was hot, full of erotic passion, and desperate need, but it wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

Kylo shakily reached up, hands trembling as they traced up Hux’s spine to delve into his hair, making the ginger practically boneless at how good it felt. “Your scent is so intense, Hux. Why is it so much more potent? You smell so good….”

Hux let Kylo have access to his neck finally, letting out a breathless laugh. “That’s because I’ve released my control of it.” When Kylo nosed around his sensitive scent glands, Hux let out a soft whimper, swallowing dryly. He almost lost it completely when Kylo started gently kissing right over the sensitive area. Hux hissed out, “Need to see you. Need to get you naked. Now.”

“Yes, sir,” Kylo rumbled against Hux’s neck, lightly nipping at the sensitive skin there.

Before he could start taking off his clothes, Hux had grown impatient and started tugging at his already damaged jacket. Kylo’s small wound on his shoulder was almost already healed, but despite that, Hux wanted to examine it himself. Kylo briefly withdrew his hands so he could rip off his jacket and shirt in one quick movement, throwing the discarded garments in the direction of a laundry basket. Returning back to Hux for a heated kiss, he moaned when Hux raked his nails down his sweatsuit uniform, finding peaked nipples through the thin, but strong fabric.

“Fuck, Hux,” Kylo bit out as Hux rubbed the raised buds before pinching them hard.

The slight pain must have excited Ren, for he suddenly clawed a huge stripe down Hux’s back, renting the material of his shirt. Hux didn’t care at this point, managing to pull himself from Ren’s tantalizing body long enough to shed his ruined shirt, tossing it away from him. Then he ran his hands down Kylo’s stomach, reaching his belt buckle. Going lower to briefly cup the Alpha’s sizeable package through his pants, Hux watched him squirm and grunt in response. Ren arched his hips against Hux’s hand, trembling and moaning. He tugged the ginger Alpha closer so he could bury his face into his neck. 

Hux let out a pleased rumble, tilting his neck a bit so Kylo had better access. It felt so good, allowing Kylo to pleasure himself like this, just as he was doing the same to him. Kylo ran his hands down Hux’s back, letting out a gasp when Hux finally managed to get Ren’s belt undone. With a fierce growl, Hux tugged the belt through it’s hoops in one, swift and violent movement, freeing it. And then he took the belt and wrapped it around Kylo’s neck loosely, tugging the male up from scenting the hell out of his neck.

Capturing Kylo’s lips harshly, Hux finally started to push the other Alpha into backing up. 

Several hungry and sweltering kisses later, Kylo had managed to get Hux’s pants undone, his hand slipping in to cup the ginger through his jumpsuit. Hux let out a ragged moan, pulling away and doing one final shove with both hands to push Kylo backwards and onto the bed behind him. Straddling the larger Alpha, Hux braced himself a bit, soft, black and red sheets feeling good under his hands as he placed them on either side of Kylo’s head. Then he descended with a growling remark, “Mine!”

Collapsing fully onto Kylo, Hux drew the Alpha into a heated kiss of which grew more fervent, erotic, and passionate. Hux shifted and bore down against Kylo’s groin, enjoying the feel of his hard arousal against the underside of his balls. The effect was immediate. Being caged like this must be a huge kink for Kylo, for he let out a guttural moan, thrashing and arching his hips up desperately. It wasn’t much longer before he fucking roared out a release, coming hard underneath Hux’s body.

Hux continued to bear down on Kylo’s cock, rolling his hips lightly, stimulating the other rut driven male until he let out a desperate whine. “Hux…. Please….” Those words had Hux shuddering through his own premature release, one so powerful it nearly blew his brain out through his cock.

Biting down on his lower lip as the feelings of pleasure wracked his body, Hux let his body feel for a long moment, stilling his movements against Kylo. Moments later, Hux leaned down to capture Kylo’s lips in a gentler, more tame kiss. “Have you knotted?” Hux asked softly, not in a mood to withdraw from the feel of Kylo’s now wet heat underneath his balls. Kylo panted for a long moment, face flushed and chest heaving.

Finally he shook his head no. “It’s just… intense.”

That was one way of putting it.

Hux nodded in understanding, smiling slightly and relaxing a bit as Kylo continued to catch his breath. “It’s supposed to be, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun.”

Now that the edge had been taken off of his lust, Hux felt a bit more clear headed. Kylo seemed to be faring better as well. After he had calmed a bit longer, Kylo asked, “Why did you let me come first?” He sat up slightly and started helping Hux strip the rest of the way, eyes roving over every inch of skin being exposed.

“You needed to take the edge off. So did I,” Hux admitted, grimacing at the feel of cooling ejaculate on his sensitive cock. 

Kylo swallowed and admitted, “Thanks. It helped. Helped a lot actually. Did-did it feel good for you, too?”

Hux arched a brow at the question, but then when he looked at Kylo, he noted the vulnerable look plastered all over his face and his eyes softened in understanding. Hux flushed slightly and crawled back up onto Kylo, taking hold of the Alpha’s hands into his tenderly. “Yes, it felt even better than good. It felt amazing.”

Kylo licked his lips and smiled a bit shakily in response. His eyes then ogled over Hux’s exposed frame and the ginger flushed under the attention. It was messing with his ego, the way Kylo was making him feel. All this attention on his person was also doing wonders for his libido. Hux let Kylo look his fill for a bit, and even let the other male run his hands over his body, letting him explore. Hux hissed softly when Kylo’s fingers found his sensitive nipples, lightly tweaking them into tight buds.

“So sensitive,” Kylo murmured, as if in awe.

“Yours seem to be as well,” Hux commented, reaching down to rub his hands over Kylo’s pecs, thumbing the Alpha’s peaked nipples through the fabric of his jumpsuit. Grabbing hold of the hidden zipper at Kylo’s clavicle, Hux drug it down slowly, wanting to see the skin beneath the uniform so badly.

Kylo moved to tug the rest of his clothes off, shivering as Hux started mapping out his skin with his fingers. Hux finally realized that for the first time in a very long time, he hadn’t had to wear his gloves once in a twenty four hour period. And it was all thanks to Ren. Hux raked his gaze over Kylo’s naked body heatedly, drinking up his exposed and untouched physique. The wound on his shoulder was now merely a scratch.

“You’re beautiful, Ren,” Hux murmured, feeling a bit cliche but his words had their desired effect.

Kylo flushed and looked a bit shy before he admitted, “So are you.”

“Mine,” Hux purred, leaning down to capture a dusky nipple in front of him that looked like it was begging for attention.

Kylo let out a slow hiss, of which turned to a whimper when Hux started nipping at the bud between his teeth, sucking on it strongly. “Fuck….” Kylo breathed, reaching up to map out a bit more of Hux’s shoulders and arms. Hux withdrew from the raised, abused nipple and turned to give Ren’s other nipple the same attention. 

Pulling away reluctantly, Hux murmured, “I want to taste you tonight, but that can wait until after your rut has settled a bit. Perhaps it might be best for you to fuck me first, and us mark eachother. That sound agreeable to you?”

“Yes,” Kylo’s voice came out deep and husky, his arousal clear. Apparently he wanted this, probably just as much as Hux wanted it. 

“Perfect.” Hux ran his hands over Kylo’s soft, mole and freckled skin before asking, “Do you have any lube handy?”

Kylo nodded wordlessly, moving over to tug a bottle out from under one of his pillows, flushing a bit at the wide knowing grin that suddenly spread over Hux’s mouth. “What?! I can’t help it. It was so hard keeping my hands off of you this past month.”

“I am not saying anything, Ren,” Hux said, though his amused look still said it all. 

Hux took up the lube from Kylo and started slicking his hands up with it, the dark haired Alpha watching for one long moment before he stammered awkwardly, “I-I have condoms too, made for Alpha… um Alpha penetration, too, if you want to use them?”

Hux’s eyes softened as he handed the lube back to Kylo. “That won’t be necessary for now unless that’s what you want. In all honesty, I want you pumping my ass full of come for this go around.”

Kylo let out a startled bark of laughter, relaxing a bit more on the bed, slicking his own hands with lube. “Fine with me.”

“How is your rut? Feeling a bit easier to handle so far?” Hux asked, hissing a bit as he slicked up his cock and balls before pouring more lube on his hands.

“Yea, it’s definitely not as crazy as before. You got me out of there before I went into full rut, so that helped. Coming helped too,” Kylo admitted, swallowing a bit before adding, “At least I don’t feel so out of control. I am sorry about what happened earlier…. I know you wanted to take it slow.”

“Mmmm, yes, I did. But that was then, and this is now. Plus, sometimes slow is very overrated,” Hux said with a small soothing smile. “Besides, it wasn’t your fault. Being an Alpha can be a beautiful thing, but at times, it can also suck.” He took his time looking over Kylo’s naked skin before things went any further.

Kylo did the same, eyes lingering on his crotch for a bit before moving on to other places.

Hux admired Kylo’s corded muscles under his soft skin, the way his thin, dark happy trail dipped from his navel to disappear partially underneath his large, flushed and erect cock which was pressed up towards his belly. Soft, furry balls lay beneath it. During his appraisal, Kylo instinctively spread his toned legs some, presenting in a way that was both submissive and dominate.

Hux loved everything he saw and smelled. He had spoken truth earlier. The ginger wanted his mouth wrapped around Kylo’s dick at some point. Kylo’s cock was thicker than his, but shorter, though not by much.

Moving up some to straddle Kylo’s hips easier, Hux asked, “Do you want to watch me open myself up for you this time, or do you want to try instead?” Not being able to keep his hands off of Ren, Hux let his hands run over the other Alpha’s pecs and abs appreciatively.

Kylo mumbled, “I want to watch for a bit, and then help, if that’s ok?” At Hux’s nod, Kylo reached down to run his hands over the ginger’s thighs, his eyes electric and full of dark desire and need. Hux felt feverish, almost as if he was burning up. When Kylo dipped one of his hands between his legs, Hux bit his lip, reaching behind himself to tease at his hole. His finger breached his hole and Hux couldn’t help but wonder just how long it had been since he’d let himself be fucked.

Too long, but it served his purpose now, eyes scanning over Kylo’s fully transparent lust plastered all over his face. Hux threw back his head and moaned, feeling Kylo’s hand start exploring and palming his cock. Leaking precome already, Hux shivered and had to concentrate on the object at hand. He wanted Kylo’s cock inside him sooner rather than later, but what Kylo was doing to him felt so deliciously good. 

“So fucking gorgeous,” Kylo breathed, continuing to stroke Hux’s erection for a long moment. He sat up a bit more, tugging Hux further against him with his free hand. Releasing Hux’s cock to help brace the ginger, Kylo leaned in to kiss and lick at his lover’s neck, nibbling at sensitive scent glands.

Hux moaned again, this time his breath hitching. Kylo finally ran out of patience and reached behind Hux’s back to tug at the hand currently busy opening himself up. “Let me…. Show me….”

Hux leaned forward and tugged Kylo’s head down with his free hand for a deep kiss, removing his finger from his ass. Gripping Kylo’s questing hand, Hux guided him to his now thoroughly wet hole. Pulling his lips from Kylo’s mouth, he whispered, “Finger me slowly. When I feel stretched enough, I’ll tell you to add more. It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

“Ok,” Kylo said, his lower lip trembling a bit with determination.

Hux breathed in the delicious smell of sex, sweat and rising lust. It was like perfume to his senses, and he was very glad he had come earlier to take off the edge. Otherwise he’d have come right when Kylo breached his ass for the first time, his finger thicker than his own. It felt so good. So right, and fated.

This didn’t feel like his other times with his prior lovers. Perhaps it was due to being helplessly in love with Ren, or maybe it was due to the several weeks of maddening torturous build up tension. All Hux knew was that Kylo was his, just as he was Kylo’s. And he’d never let him go if he could help it. The future was uncertain, but Hux wasn’t about to let fear wash over him. Not now. He’d done that enough in the past month. Hux normally wasn’t a hopeless romantic, preferring rational thought to fantastical ideas and sentiment when it came to lovers. But, all that had changed. 

Somehow, someway Kylo had waltzed into his life like a Tasmanian devil, turning everything upside down. And as Kylo began stroking his finger in and out of Hux’s ass, the ginger knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way. With his free hand, Kylo gripped Hux’s hip, keeping him steady while he prepared him. Hux started bearing his hips down against the intruding finger, whispering, “You can add another.”

Kylo did as he was told, adding another finger, stretching and scissoring Hux’s entrance. It felt so good, the burn and heightened arousal. Tingles and sparks were running through his veins like a wall of flame, making him almost come right then and there. Kylo slowed down a bit, reaching back down to capture Hux’s cock to distract him. What really helped was when Kylo flexed his fingers just right, hitting the jackpot. Hux let out a loud moan, letting go of Kylo’s hand so he could tug Kylo in for a desperate kiss. His hands were trembling through the whole process, but Hux didn’t care.

Kylo continued his ministrations, arching his fingers and scissoring them more in search of that spot. Now that he had found it once, Kylo seemed to be determined to find it again. Each time he rubbed it, Hux would buck his hips and let out the filthiest moans, feeling surges of pleasure blast through him. Kylo drank his desperation in, his kisses turning more passionate and violent. Both their cocks were slick with precome and lube, and Hux couldn’t help but roll his hips against Kylo’s, rubbing their erections together.

Kylo let out a growling keen, with his free hand, he tilted Hux’s chin to the side so he could nibble and lap at his sweat covered jawline. “I’m-I’m ready….”

“Shouldn’t I do three?” Kylo asked reasonably, though he sounded a bit unsure. 

Hux answered, “I can take it. I need your cock in me. It’ll be a tight fit, but I can take it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Hux,” Kylo said, eyebrows drawing a bit closer in concern.

“You won’t. It’ll ache and burn, but it won’t hurt. Just, I just need your cock fucking me now or I am going to burst,” Hux pleaded softly. “My rut is starting to set in. In a minute, I’ll cease to care.”

Kylo regarded him with narrowed eyes, but then he finally relented. Tugging his fingers out of Hux’s ass, drawing a small whine from the ginger at the loss, Kylo gripped at Hux’s ass, spreading his ass cheeks. Hux, to his credit, was flexible, so he positioned himself with ease, even at an awkward angle. Taking up Kylo’s thick leaking cock, Hux let out a small mewl as he finally, finally got it where he wanted it.

Inch, by slow inch, Hux slid himself down to take Kylo’s cock, impaling himself on it with aroused determination. Kylo let out a whine, and had to stroke Hux’s sides to keep from gripping his hips and just pressing the ginger down fully. Hux almost wished he would have done that, but his ass perhaps was thankful of his conscious decision to refrain. The burn was almost too much, but Hux was resilient and managed to get the whole length inside his ass moments later. 

Once bottoming out, Hux let out a slow breath, forcing his lower extremities to relax. Kylo let out soft whimpers, his shaking hands reaching up to tug Hux closer to him. Hux let him have his way as he waited for his own body to adjust. “So tight, fuck you are so tight, Hux….” Kylo breathed against his shoulder. “What if I pop a knot? How… how am I going to fit?”

“Trust me, you’ll fit,” Hux answered, reaching up to delve into Kylo’s sweat drenched hair. He embraced the Alpha for a bit, just letting his body settle. “As much as I would love to see you go over the edge once you’ve knotted me - in case you do pop one, it’s not practical for our first time together. If you feel your knot building, we’ll have to position ourselves differently so I don’t end up with a damaged or torn ass.”

Kylo swallowed and nodded, regarding Hux somberly. Lust was thick in Kylo’s eyes along with something else that Hux was beginning to understand what it actually was. Until the other male actually said those words to him, Hux wasn’t going to press him. He cupped Kylo’s face, leaning in to kiss his eyelids, nose, cheeks and lips, enjoying the snort of mirth that came as a result. 

“You feel ok?” Hux asked softly, stroking a hand down Kylo’s chest. Kylo softly huffed incredulously as if to say who should be asking who that question? But, then he sighed and whispered, “Yea. You?”

“Mmmm, let’s find out, shall we?” Hux rolled his hips experimentally and let out a slow breath. He still felt a burn in his ass, but not as bad as before. This was tolerable, and the fact that Kylo’s cock was rubbing right where it needed to be, Hux figured he could work with this. “Fuck, you feel so good, Kylo. Follow my movements. You’ll get the hang of it, I am sure.”

Kylo started arching up his hips as was told and let out a rumbling growl of pleasure. “If I go full into rut, I just want to say something to you before my mind is gone.” Kylo whispered, letting out a whimper when Hux’s ass squeezed around him. “I...I love you, Hux.”

Hux crashed their lips together in a fierce kiss in response, still rolling his hips and creating a rhythm. He was already feeling the telltale signs of impending completion, but he held on as long as he could. Hux didn’t want this to be over before it truly began. He pulled away and whispered against Kylo’s lips, “I love you too, Ren.”

With a heated growl, Kylo let out a rumbling moan, his hands going down to tug Hux as close as he could, finally taking the initiative to tumble them both onto the bed, the ginger splayed on his back missionary style. Being as limber and flexible as he was, Hux was able to deal with this new angle quite well. Kylo tugged up one of Hux’s legs over his shoulder as he started moving faster, not being able to help himself.

Having his ass thoroughly pounded into the soft sheets of Kylo’s bed in a castle of all things was the best thing. Hux arched his hips, grunting with each powerful thrust, reaching up to grip at Kylo’s shoulders for leverage. Kylo then collapsed on top of him, and that’s when Hux knew without a doubt, Kylo was back into his rut stage, only this time, it was full on. A hot mouth closed over his shoulder, fangs clamping down and pinning him to the mattress and that was the only warning before Hux got dominated.

Hux went to wrap his arms around his lover’s shoulders and Kylo growled warningly, grunting with a surging thrust that nearly sent the ginger off the edge into oblivion. Huffing out a moan, Hux dropped his hands down to his sides, completely submitting to Kylo’s torrent. With each slick thrust, each slide of skin on sweat slicked skin, Hux was almost there. Kylo hitting his sweet spot, nearly pounding his prostate into the next century is what did it. 

Hux let out a roaring howl as he started coming, feeling rut take over finally. He let his body loose, and just went along for the ride. His body shook with a mind blowing climax, his come spurting all over Kylo’s abs and stomach, and even got all over Hux’s chest and neck. Kylo did not let up, and Hux didn’t expect him to. When rut fully took over, it was like nothing else mattered but to fuck or be fucked. Through the haze of the next several minutes, all Hux could do was feel and be used over and over again.

Kylo was like a machine, and just when Hux thought he couldn’t go any faster, the Alpha surprised him with a quickened pace that set him into shockwaves of electric pleasure. It was almost too much. Oversensitive, and ass full of Kylo’s thick cock, Hux almost grew delirious with the influx of sensations. Kylo caged him in, letting Hux’s leg to slip off his shoulder, but only for the ginger to automatically wrap it around the other Alpha’s hip. The angle wasn’t as good, but Hux didn’t care. 

Hux’s voice had long ago grown hoarse with all of his moans, growls and whines when he felt a slight tug near his rim. Nearly seeing stars, he let out a croon to try and get Kylo’s attention. Kylo seemed to be one step ahead of him, even in this primal, animalistic state, and the Alpha promptly pulled himself out of the ginger, flipped Hux unceremoniously over and started pounding into him again, this time his body blanketing Hux securely. Kylo clamped back down on Hux’s shoulder, this time much closer to his scent glands and it caused him to wail hoarsely, coming hard again.

And still Kylo kept on, his hips going so fast, and his cock growing even larger, preparing for his knot. Hux took it all, knowing he’d be sore as hell the next morning, but that did not matter to him. Briefly, Hux arched up his hips in an attempt to get Kylo to hit his prostate more often. The result had Kylo growl in warning and sink in his teeth more into Hux’s shoulder, piercing skin this time.

Thrust after inhuman like thrust, Hux thought this pleasure - almost pain would never end. And he didn’t want it to. It felt so incredible and mind-blowing. And then Kylo’s knot popped completely, joining the two of them together as he let loose a huge load of come. Kylo’s climaxing wailing roar was like nothing Hux had ever heard in his life and it actually caused him to go over the edge yet again, his cock weakly trying to produce come. The sound was completely wrecked.

And Kylo still kept going, even after his knot was fully formed, keeping them tied. He let out a deep grunt that soon went to a helpless whine as his knot finally got so secure up Hux’s ass that it wouldn’t budge. Collapsing fully onto Hux, Kylo twitched and panted, fangs still holding Hux securely to the mattress. Whining again, Kylo reflexively rolled his hips, causing his knot to tug deliciously. Jesus fucking Christ, just how much stamina did Kylo have?

For long moments they stayed like that, panting and trying to catch their breaths, though Kylo’s breathing was muffled by his fangs still sunken deep in Hux’s shoulder. Every once in a while, Kylo would whimper and roll his hips, unable to help his body’s need to copulate even more than it already had. After each attempt, it would send shooting sparks up and down Hux’s spine, pooling into his thoroughly spent cock. Being oversensitive, Hux learned, had it’s perks in situations like this.

Kylo rolled his hips again, and managed to let out another load of come, this time filling Hux to the rim. It felt good, pressed up against his prostate and further inside. If Hux had been an Omega, he no doubt would have been just as wrecked, and just as pleased. Almost falling asleep with Kylo still buried in his ass was not something Hux intended, but he felt so safe, and so, thoroughly sated that it was hard to keep his eyes open, even with the influx of oversensitivity and spikes of pleasure.

As the haze settled, Hux became aware of Kylo moving his right hand. Keeping his jaws still buried on Hux’s shoulder and one hand braced slightly to keep from crushing Hux too much, Kylo ran his hand down in front of Hux’s lower extremities, the ginger’s ass still presenting and braced comfortably - or as comfortable as he could be in this circumstance. Hux let out a gasping whimper as Kylo took hold of his half hard length almost tenderly, as if on an instinctual level, Kylo knew just how sensitive he was.

Hux let out a mewl as Kylo started pumping him gently, his fingers and claws raking lightly over the head of his cock. “Kylo….” Hux whined hoarsely, not even having enough energy to move his hips.

Kylo grunted and stilled his hand for one moment but did not remove it. Eventually, however, Kylo took up stroking him again, and Hux whined louder, but the sound came out more as a pleasure filled moan than pained. Jesus, this was just too much! Kylo continued his gentle strokes, one claw teasing a bit at his slit. It felt so good, and way too much.

It was perfect.

Hux started twitching his hips, not being able to rut correctly, but that didn’t dissuade Kylo one bit. He seemed to be determined to get Hux off yet another time. Letting out a low rumble, Kylo pulled his fangs out of Hux’s shoulder, his tongue starting to lick the bite marks soothingly. Perhaps this was Kylo’s way of showing Hux his gentle side. Whatever the reason, it felt way too good.

Kylo didn’t even have to tighten his grip on Hux’s cock before the ginger weakly came, sparkles clouding his vision at it’s intensity. Helplessly keening out a sob, Hux felt tears roll down his cheeks. That release, even after all that fucking, is what did him in.

Once Kylo’s knot finally went down enough, the Alpha carefully pulled out of Hux, but only to flip him back over and enter him again for a cuddle. Hux appreciated it, still trembling and shaking from that last orgasm, tears not being able to keep from leaking out of his eyes. Kylo whined as he licked up the tears soothingly, his arms encasing Hux in a comforting hug. Hux could still feel Kylo’s cock deep inside him, knot faded, but he was no less hard. If Hux wasn’t currently having an emotional crisis, he’d probably be a bit exasperated by Kylo’s stamina. 

Jesus, how in the kriff had people not tapped Kylo yet?

Then again, Hux supposed that he was pretty pleased and proud that the other male decided to give him everything, including his male on male virginity. Kylo nosed Hux’s cheek and let out another whine, his red gaze fading to normal brown black in concern. Hux just clung to his lover’s neck, sobbing and letting everything pour out of him in waves.

Kylo held him through all of it, though it wasn’t until Hux had calmed and kissed his lips shakily in thanks that the Alpha lost his concerned gaze.

### 

The next morning, Hux woke up sore as hell, but not as bad as he’d thought he’d be. That might have been due to the fact that after Kylo had quite literally pounded his ass into the ground, he’d been very attentive by cleaning him up and putting medicated ointment practically everywhere. He wasn’t sure how Kylo knew to do that, but he wasn’t going to comment about it. It helped soothe his tired and sore muscles, inside and out. 

Lifting his head with difficulty, Hux noted that Kylo was still sleeping, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. Bite and claw marks littered all over Kylo’s body, even in nether regions where Hux had insisted on attending to even after all that mind blowing sex the night before. Hux let out a soft whimper as his bladder made itself known. Kriff, he hated mornings. 

Trying carefully to both get out of Kylo’s arms and out of bed without waking him or injuring himself, Hux staggered a bit, but managed to get upright. Weakly, he headed to the bathroom to relieve himself. While washing his hands, he stared at his reflection for a bit and chuckled softly in spite of himself. He looked thoroughly fucked over, and in more ways than one.

But, Hux supposed there were worse things.

Reaching up to rub at the bite mark on the right side of his neck where his scent glands were, Hux sighed softly and figured that once he got himself healed up properly, he’d do the same to Kylo. And he’d enjoy it immensely. Kylo came into the bathroom, rumbling out a soft, “Hux? You ok?” 

“Yea, never felt better,” Hux purred, looking over his mate appreciatively.

Too out of it to be embarrassed, Hux guessed, Kylo smirked and went over to embrace him from behind, hands folding over his lower abdomen. He kissed Hux’s shoulder and looked in the mirror. Hux looked at both of their reflections and smiled, truly happy, for once in his life.


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the end of Part One. I hope you all have enjoyed the ride. I hope to start working on Part Two in the next month or so. Without further ado, here is the Epilogue.

### Epilogue:

Two months had passed, and with it, so did fall into winter. Though the Denver area was still mostly sunshine and strange batches of warm weather with the bitter cold, Hux was still getting used to living in a moody castle where the sun never rose except in the back covered gardens, and it stormed like a hurricane outside every twelve hours. Though he had moved in shortly after the problem with the vampires and the Werewolves had been temporarily resolved, thanks to the FBI’s finally, reluctant assistance, he still thought this was part of one big dream at times.

But, usually when that happened, Kylo would pull him into his arms and kiss his brow, letting him know that this was real, that this was solid, and that this was his life now. 

Techie and Matt were finally getting married. Matt had proposed on one knee at a comic con convention right after Thanksgiving, and the two were planning on getting hitched the next May, when the flowers were in bloom and the weather wasn’t quite summer. 

Hux was happy for his brother, and as a wedding gift, he was planning on giving Techie complete ownership of the safe house. 

He still missed his brother, even though Techie made it a point to come visit at least once a week on a movie night, regardless of the fact that they saw eachother five days a week at work (sometimes even more than that). 

Phasma was still mostly running the SPCIS and working part time at her jewelry shop, though because of how fast Hux was learning, she was letting him handle more things so she could get some stuff off her shoulders. 

Poe was still working part time as a Doctor at the same hospital, although he had taken on a new boyfriend, and it seemed to be pretty serious, though mysterious. The Alpha seemed pretty shy when it came to talking about his private life, and though the rest of the SPCIS members were curious, they voted to respect his privacy, and hopefully meet his paramour sometime in the future. 

As for himself and Ren - crazy, beautifully messed up Ren, things weren’t always a walk in the park, but they were working through it the best they could. Both men still had secrets they were not yet ready to reveal, and though it was sometimes vexing to Hux that he didn’t know much about Ren’s past, he respected his privacy. He wasn’t so curious as to stomp all over Kylo’s trust in him, and in turn, the other Alpha treated him the same.

After one particularly bad storm the night before Christmas Eve, both Kylo and Hux had woken up to a very cold and dark castle, with the electric completely gone. Kylo had grumbled and found the problem, fixing it with ease. However, Hux’s eyebrows drew close together when he spotted that his phone had several missed calls and texts from all members of the SPCIS, especially Techie. 

Now, he was getting ready to listen and read all the missed items, but before he could the doorbell rang. At first Hux had no idea what the huge bonging noise was - it almost sounded like a church bell had fell into a ravine and died, and he had to clap his hands over his ears in pain. 

“What in the kriff, Ren?” Hux asked his boyfriend with a scowl.

Kylo narrowed his eyes and reached over to pull one of his guns out of his uniform, stating softly, “Doorbell.”

“Lucifer’s _balls_ , that needs to be fixed!” Hux hissed and came to stand behind him, also drawing one of his own weapons.

They weren’t expecting any company until the following day, and even when they did have company, they had always used the security gate to have admittance. Not one person had ever rang the doorbell, so it must be strangers they were dealing with. And from the tense frame of Kylo’s body, Hux could tell that he was suspicious as well. “I got a load of texts and calls from the others, but I have yet to view or listen to any.”

“Same,” Kylo whispered back. “The gates normally don’t let anyone inside the premises unless they put in my DNA or have special security codes.” 

Hux and Kylo went into the entry area, their boots clicking lightly on the tile flooring. As they neared the large doors, they could hear voices on the other side of it. Both voices were male and adult… nearly identical. Either that or someone was talking to themselves.

“Uncle Techie said they were in, so we transported right. Perhaps before conception? I don’t think they conceived until after Christmas, but I could be wrong.”

“Maybe. Man, I’ve missed this place. Can’t believe Satan had to be a total douchebag and blow the whole place to smithereens.”

“Ares, shh... . I think I can smell them.”

“Are you serious, Micah? All I can smell is fried manure. And believe me, it doesn’t smell pretty. They must have had a bad storm last night.”

“What you are smelling is fertilizer that they use on the lawn. Remember, this place doesn’t know what seasons mean - unless the greenhouses are still active and operational. But, yea, I can smell them. They are definitely home.”

“Well, I hope they are decent. There are some things I definitely do not want to see, even if they are now the same age as us.”

“Will you be quieter at least if you can’t shut up, _asshat_?”

Kylo gave Hux a perplexed look before he up and opened the large doors with a rumble deep in his throat. Once the doors stopped swinging wide, Hux and Kylo gaped at who and what they saw standing just beyond them. The dim light of their home revealed two nearly identical tall, handsome men dressed from head to toe in black fashionable attire. The style was not quite steampunk and not quite gothic, but it worked for their pale, freckled complexions, rounded faces, and long, flowing dark ginger hair. 

Their features looked familiar and yet different to Hux, their noses of average size but a bit pert, their mouths full and lush. Eyebrows were a bit darker than their hair, but didn’t take from the overall effect, and both had light dustings of red eyeshadow on their eyelids. 

However, it was their eyes that captured Hux. There standing in front of him, looking into his eyes were eyes so familiar, he knew them. He knew them completely. Ice cold blue and captivating. If that wasn't damning enough it was their scent that drove the point home. 

“Happy Winter Solstice Dad and Father,” The Alpha male closest to him said, a large, mischievous, but all too familiar smirk spreading over his fair lips. “It’s been quite a long, long time.”

“Is this some sort of joke?” Hux asked, eyes shrewd. During his short time at the SPCIS he had been taught to expect the fantastic, but this, this was way too disturbing.

Too unreal.

“That would be really fun, but sadly no. This is no joke,” The man continued, looking a bit smug and playful.

However, his nearly identical counterpart rolled his eyes and nudged him a bit, saying pointedly in a soft, musical voice, “Oh just shut up, Ares.” The Omega raised his eyes and explained, “I am Micah Xander Hux-Ren, and this idiot at my side is my twin, Ares Anakin Hux-Ren. We are from about thirty four years in the future. We wouldn’t be here if we had any other choice. And yes, it is possible. Long story short, Dad - or Kylo Ren, is half Dark Elf, spawned from one of the darkest sons of Hell. And you, Father, will eventually give birth to us a year from now if everything goes well. We have come to prevent war, and to stop a known time traveler terrorist from ending not only your lives and our own, but the world’s.” Micah caught Kylo’s eyes and held it, whispering, “I am speaking truth, Dad.”

“Your insults are meaningless if I don’t _care_ ,” Ares hissed softly at his twin with a snort.

Hux then asked Ren, his voice steady in spite of how stunned he was feeling, “Is Micah telling the truth?”

“Yea, as crazy as it sounds. They are _both_ telling the truth.” Kylo blinked slowly and ran his eyes over both men curiously, several emotions going all over his face.

Kylo didn’t have much of a poker face. And neither did Hux right now. Still, if the man said this was all true, then fuck. 

“Great, now that that is settled… can we come in? I need to take a colossal piss before my bladder explodes like a jack-o-lantern set up for target practice,” Ares stated with a dry, deadpan tone.

Hux blinked a bit and mentally shook himself before glowering at Kylo and nudging him hard. When Kylo turned to look at him with a ‘huh’ look on his face, Hux accused, “They WOULD have to have your sense of crassness!”

“Aw, Father, I am thoroughly _wounded_. I assure you, Ares is the only one that uses Dad’s expressions often,” Micah stated with an annoyed look.

“You bet your asscheeks I take after _DAD!_ ” Ares stated, nudging his brother in the shoulder with a saucy grin.

As the twins walked into the house passing their so-called parents, so many questions ran through Hux’s head, but one stuck out more than the others. He turned and looked at Kylo, suddenly hissing with a bit of a hysterical squeak, _“Twins?”_

Flushing scarlet, Kylo admitted, “What can I say? Twins run in my family.”

“Karking HELL, _REN!_ You have some explaining to do!” Hux seethed as he followed his boyfriend away from the door, ignoring the boom it sounded off when closing by itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks again to my artist, who was also my beta and confidant on this wild ride. Also, thank you Solohux (dear Lottie) and the Kylux Fandom for helping me create my Kylux twins Ares and Micah. And of course, both twins are definitely modeled off of Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) from American Horror Story, Season 8. Thank you also, lovely people who headed up the Kylux Big Bang 2018. You guys did a fabulous job running the whole thing.


End file.
